Inferno
by Mistress of Sarcasm
Summary: She had always known her mask would slip. It had been upon her face for too long, had hidden her from the world too many times. Yes, she'd always known it would slip. She just didn't know HE would be there to catch it
1. Hellfire

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except this whole plot.

**Inferno**

The day she turned five, her father left.

He didn't make a big scene, didn't have a shouting match with her mother, didn't even tell anyone good-bye. He just vanished into thin air. Or at least, he had intended to.

She woke at the sound of his footsteps. She had always been a sensitive child. She had an uncanny ability to know when something of great importance was occurring. She had awoken just in time to see her father passing by her bedroom, suitcase in hand. Maybe she should have remained in her room, should have allowed her father to walk out of her life as easily as she could, but she didn't. Some supernatural force drove her from her bed and out into the hall, where her soft, five-year-old voice called out to her father's departing figure. He hadn't faced her, no, just paused, halted in his retreat. Had she looked, she would have seen the fist around the suitcase handle tighten just a little. Had he faced her, she would have seen paper white shade his skin had taken, and the almost lost look in his eyes blaze stronger than she had ever seen it. If he had turned, maybe she wouldn't have taken so seriously his next words. Maybe her mind, young and naïve, could have passed off her father's words as wrong, because he was running away. But no, he didn't face her. So what he told her, the words he whispered to his daughter on her fifth birthday, etched themselves into her soul, burned themselves into her mind, and dictated what she would become.

" Never let them see you cry."

Six words. Seven syllables. Not a good bye of any sort. Not advice of any kind. Only an order. A command, the last he would ever give her. Somewhere, in her heart, in that place where see understood things as no one else could, she knew. Her father was never coming back. She would never see him ever again. So those final words, that final order, was something she must honour and obey. She must never let anyone see her cry. Never let anyone know how much they hurt her. How deep the cut ran across her soul, how long the scar in her heart was. She must keep that inside, bottle it up in a place where no one would find it, and let it out only, _only_ when she was sure she was alone. It was a task she felt her father had bestode upon her, and she would accept it with open arms.

As she stood there, pondering and understanding, her father left. The chill from the open door snapped her back to reality. Her father was gone. Any and all traces that he had ever been in this house has been removed, save for one thing. The fire he had made sure burned every night during the winter season, still blazing and flickering in the fireplace. Moving quietly, silently, as though she were a ghost, she moved toward the fireplace, where she had watched her father so many a-time tending to dancing flames. She sank to her knees before the fire, her small silhouette enlarge on the wall behind her. Her eyes never left the flickering sparks, watching in fascination as the flames danced for her, and her alone. She pressed her tiny hand to the heated glass, feeling the blaze just passed the see-through barrier. What would happen, if she took away this barrier? If she let the fired out? Would the sparks tango from their cage out onto the carpet? Would they make small flames of their own, that would spread out over the entire room and consume it? Would the small sparks be able to start an inferno that would not only incinerate this house, but everyone and everything inside including her?

The thought sent tingles up her spine. Her body shook with anticipation, and she pressed her palms harder than ever to the glass. The fire danced furiously, practically begging to be released. What would it matter, if the house burned down? What would it matter, if her toys were turned to ash? What would it even matter, if she and her family were killed in the flames? It would be worth it, a wonderful way to die, burning in an all-consuming inferno that danced and twirled around seductively, and beckoned to you with each twist. It would be bliss, to watch the fire slowly eating away at the house, piece-by-piece, room-by-room, burning away the tiny twinge in her heart. Her father was gone, so what would it matter, if the fire was set loose, for the entire world to see? It wouldn't. It would be perfect, so perfect. That bright, orange-red flame burning her away, bit by bit. Dancing for her and her alone. Her face was pressed to the glass now too, her eyes half closed, lulled and unfocused. Were she older, with a face not obscured by the pudgy roundness of a child, she would have look so incredibly tempting, so seductive and alluring, she would've brought a man to his knees. Now, however, she was a child, a child whose mind teetered on the brick, dancing on the line between sane and insane. The firelight reflected almost psychotically in her eyes, almost insanely. If only she could let it out, play with it, dance with it for real, and let its heat burn away all her pain and sadness, in the beautiful inferno.

All-consume.

Burn everything.

So perfect.

Everything gone.

Beautiful inferno.

Beautiful inferno.

Beautiful infer-

" Sweetie?"

Her mother's voice, so sweet and gentle, broke the spell. She darted back from the glass, breathing shallowly. Her mind, so sensitive and strange, barely comprehended what she had been thinking.

To set the fire free, and kill her mother, brother, and even herself.

Her cheeks were flushed from the heat of the glass, her eyes now focused. Her mother walked over to her, eyes slowly filling with tears. She fell to her knees before her five-year-old daughter, and cried. Her sobs wracked through her like tremors, shaking her completely. The little girl watched, face expressionless, body still. Her mother threw her arms around her, holding her close, like lifeline. Over her shoulder, she watched the fire dance hypnotically, swaying to and fro, and reflected it in her strangely blank eyes.

The first day of grade one, she found out she was different from other kids.

She walked into the classroom, a little nervous, but prepared to make some new friends. She was, of course, new in the neighbourhood, and knew no one. She shuffled in behind everyone and waited to be introduced. Her eyes scanned over the classroom, taking in her classmates, memorizing their faces and expressions for future gain. They greeted her warmly, as only 7-year-olds can. A slight rush of whispers about 'the new girl' passed over them, but it faded with a stern glance from the teacher. She turned to her seat, and sank into it, avoiding eye contact.

A tap on her shoulder caught her attention. The girl next to her smiled when she turned.

" Hi, I'm, Ayumi."

She offered a weak smile, and gave her name again. Ayumi happily announced that she thought they would be great friends, and proceeded to talk in whispery tones to her for the next hour. At recess, she was introduced to Eri and Yuka, Ayumi's two best friends. She smiled again, amazed slightly how her obviously fake smiles fooled them. Couldn't they tell she was hurting? Couldn't they see that the move had taken its toll on her mind and heart?

Apparently, they couldn't. She hadn't disobeyed her father.

Later on in the day, they had been outside, talking and laughing, though her own giggles were less enthusiastic than the rest. They had done nothing wrong, done nothing to provoke it, nothing except be themselves. But it had happened nonetheless.

Bullies are strange creatures. They prey on those weaker than themselves to feel better. This particular bully was in grade 4, and loved to harass younger kids. He spotted her, and she was labeled new meat.

" Who's the new runt?"

His tone was cruel, but she paid no heed. In her mind's eye, the flame's image flickered. Her eyes went strangely blank, her face placid and pale. The bully's taunts echoed in her ears, one after another. She heard her new friends jump up to defend her, yelling and screaming, Ayumi, crying.

Those liquid crystals, flowing like a river down her cheeks, they surprised her. She would never have thought of crying. She couldn't cry. Not while people could see, not while the world watched. The boy's words cut through her, aimed at her and her friends. In her mind, she envisioned the flames, dancing. Twirling toward the boy, leaping at his clothes, burning away the material, twisting over his skin, sparking in his hair. She imagined a fire burning all around him, consuming him, his screams ringing in her ears.

It wasn't until he hit Ayumi that she reacted.

She was vicious. She leapt upon him, clawing, and scratching. She even bit him, tearing at any flesh she could find. All the while, imaging the fire destroying him. All while imaging the blazing flames burning him out of their lives.

It was Eri and Yuka who eventually pulled her off him. He ran, terrified for his very life.

With good reason.

She didn't understand until later. Not until she was told, by her friends, how brutal she had been. She wouldn't stop. It was as if she couldn't hear their pleas to cease. Like she forgot they existed. And maybe she had. Maybe the fire that had somehow burned its way into her bloodstream had blocked everything from her sense. Blocked the horrified screams of her friends. Blocked the boy's frantic begging. All she knew was one thing:

She had had ever intention of killing him.

Maybe that made her insane. Maybe that made her psychotic. Maybe that made her a very, very sick child. But she didn't care. She could make them believe she didn't mean it. And she did.

She told them she was upset about something, the move, and had over reacted. She fooled them completely. They never suspected that she wanted to kill him, that her anger had been a killing rage. They never saw the blankness in her eyes, nor the insane look they got right before she attacked.

On that day, she learned she was different from other children. She was strange; she didn't show how she felt. She could feel no remorse if she trained herself not to. She could be absolutely brutal if she let the fire take her over. She wasn't normal. Normal children didn't want to kill someone and not care.

When she was twelve, she learned what she was.

She had been surfing over the web, looking for obsessions, a project for health. Typing in her keywords and clicking the button, she had browsed for something that would catch her interest. One term jumped out at her, though she couldn't explain why.

**Pyromania.**

Her hand, almost as though it weren't attached to her body, moved the curser to the link, and clicked. Instantly, the homepage came up, offering a definition for the term.

_**An irresistible urge to start fires.**_

Her eyes widened, as the image of the flickering flames danced before her eyes. Her breath rasped.

_**An irresistible urge to start fires.**_

She gulped in air, a lump forming in her throat. She leaned forward, reading again, and again.

_**An irresistible urge to start fires.**_

Unable, or barely unable to prevent oneself from starting a fire. Such people were called pyromaniacs. They loved fire, the website said. They were obsessed with it. They craved it, lusted for it, adored it. There was nothing more beautiful to them, then a full-fledged inferno.

She couldn't breath by this point. Her heart was thundering.

_**An irresistible urge to start fires.**_

She…loved fire. Adored it, yes. But that didn't make her…a pyromaniac, did it? She didn't think it was alright to kill people just to see an inferno, did she.

Her heart stopped moving as a memory came to her.

_What would it matter, if she and her family were killed in the flames?_

She had thought that, the night of her fifth birthday, the night her father had left. She hadn't cared who was killed, so long as she got to see the fire. She was… a pyro. She was obsessed with flames.

_**An irresistible urge to start fires.**_

She was crazy, a psycho, a nutcase. She didn't care about her own family being burnt to a crisp, for God's sake!

Trembling, shaking almost uncontrollably, she turned the computer off. She flung herself onto the bed, and cried. Screamed, howled, shrieked. She tried to get the fire from her blood, undo what she had done all those nights ago when she let the fire into her soul as she stared at it. But she couldn't let go. It was a part of her now. And it was never going to go away.

…

But she could hide it. Hide it behind fake smiles, and cheery laughter. Bury it beneath and happy disposition and bouncy attitude. She had fooled people once before, and who was to say she couldn't again? Though it threatened to well up and destroy her from the inside out, though she wanted nothing more than to run to her mother's arms and cry, she stood fast.

" _Never let them see you cry."_

Her father's words rang in her head, echoing in her darkened mind, steeling her resolve. No one would know. Her smile and laughter would fool them all. They would never see the madness that danced just beyond her eyes, never see the tears that glistened just out of sight. Never see the real her, who lingered just past their view.

It was easier now. Years of practice had made it easy for her to act. She fooled everyone, even her own family, into thinking that the preppy, happy, bubbly girl she presented to them was the real her. They never suspected that, just beyond the surface, just under the skin, her world tilted in the edge. That her mind slipped up and down into the abyss, like a yo-yo. Her dreams and her reality melded together sometimes, and she couldn't tell the difference. No one knew. Maybe no one cared.

Over the time, as she convinced person after person with her act, she became just the slightest bit sickened. People were so dense. They were so gullible. They swallowed every lie she fed them, every little fib, every tiny act. No one looked beyond the surface, beyond the girl she presented to them. She knew exactly what they wanted her to be, and that's what she was. She manipulative, cunning and sneaky. She played her role so perfectly, so precisely, so utterly completely, that no one knew of her obsession with fire.

And it made her sick.

No one cared enough, no knew enough to try and save her. She wasn't stupid. She knew she was slipping. Her grip on reality was fading fast. She wasn't even aware of things around her half the time. The urge to burn things, watch them light on fire was suffocating her, taking her over. It was all beginning to be too much. Even her mask, that carefully crafted mask, that mask that had both destroyed and kept intact her sanity was beginning to crack and fall. It was slipping from her face more and more, revealing her true face for the entire world to see. It was cracking swiftly, so shards of who she really was fell into conversations more and more frequently. It terrified her, and yet, she awaited it eagerly. She wanted the world to see her for what she truly was, what she was truly like. She had grown bored of fooling people so easily. She wanted to see their face when her true self stood, tall and proud, before them. But she was scared. She had lived behind the mask for so long, she had forgotten what it was like with out it. She was afraid everyone would leave, abandon her after they knew what she really was.

So she sat, zoned out of the conversation, gazing, transfixed, into the fire. The red-orange flames dancing contently, no barriers but a ring of stones around it. She sat, wishing her mask would remain, but knowing it would fall and looking forward to it at the same time. But until then, she would keep up this charade. She would continue to pretend, even if only for a little while. Only until her mask slip and crashed to the ground, shattering into a hundred million pieces. And she would be free to stand before the world, as herself for the first time since she was five.

But, until then, Kagome Higurashi could wait.


	2. Tainted Flames

Disclaimer: I own nothing except this plot.

The flames of Hell will show an eternal damnation, an ethereal torture that only God can sentence to you. The beautiful Hellfire burns brightest with the sins of mankind are revealed, and all hope of redemption is lost. As the sinners flee from an inescapable destiny, the blaze grows stronger, feeding hungrily on their hollow dreams.

**Inferno **

_The more you fight, the brighter it burns._

Chapter 1: Tainted Flames

A spark flitted from the burning fire, landing gently on the lush green grass to the side. Her chocolate brown eyes followed its descent. She couldn't tear them away from the dancing flames. Was it really so wrong, to be obsessed like this? What was so wrong about it? It was a question she often asked herself. Even if it made her question everything. Her life, its purpose, her mask, her lies, the web she had spun about herself all those years ago. The thoughts jumbled around in her head, becoming fainter with each passing moment. The fire's slight smoke drifted into her sense, suffocating her.

She welcomed it.

It felt good, to lose reality ever so often, to forget who and what she was. For there to only be the flame, and its dance.

Slowly, ever so slowly, she leaned forward, her eyes reflecting the fire in the strangely blank pupils. Here, the only boundary was that silly ring of stones. Stones that could be removed and thrown away so easily. Would it really be so hard? Just grab the rocks, fling them away, and set it loose. Watch as the fire devoured everything around her. The shocked and horrified faces of her friends. The roaring flames eating away at her clothes, mind and soul. It would be utter bliss. So beautiful, the fire was.

Her eyes were blank and half closed again, but she wasn't aware of it. Her face was softly flushed, the heated wind off the fire tussling her ebony hair, hand stretching out toward the fire. Her breath was slightly raspy. Her heart was thudding in her ears, blocking out anything except the crackling of the blaze. She was forever in this trance. The fire was in her blood. It was taking over.

And she loved it so.

Just a bit farther, and she could let the flames loose, set them free on all the world. She could watch them consume everything, everyone without a care in the world. Almost there…

" Kagome?"

>

Sango glanced over at her dear friend. Kagome had been quiet lately, very quiet. It worried the demon slayer, because Kagome was usually so bubbly and happy. It wasn't like her to be so down and quiet. Sango wondered if it was something Inuyasha had done or said to her. The inu hanyou wasn't the most tactful person she had ever met, that was for sure. He was always making Kagome upset. And then insisting that _she_ apologize to _him_! It was outrageous as far as Sango was concerned. Kagome was a very kind person. So sweet and delicate. Gentle and happy. Seeing her without a smile seemed wrong. So very wrong.

She hadn't said anything in a while. Sango threw a worried look at the girl, and wasn't exactly ready to see what her friend was doing.

Kagome was staring hypnotically into the campfire, as if it were her life force. Her wondrous brown eyes were blank, devoid of any feeling, emotion, or expression. Kagome, who was horrible at concealing her emotions, was oblivious to the world around her, except for the fire. But what worried Sango the most was the gentle, but eerie smile that had graced her soft, pink lips. The tiniest smile of complete ecstasy, pure, undiluted pleasure, lit her entire face up insanely. It made Sango tremble in fear. Where had Kagome gone? Where was her best friend? Who was this horrible creature in her place?

" Kagome?" She whispered gently, terrified of the response.

>

Kagome jumped back from the flames at the sound of Sango's voice. Her trance was broken, the fire had receded from her bloodstream, it was asleep again. Her breath came in rapidly. She had almost…

Her mask had slipped again. She had let her real self out once again. It terrified her. That oh-so-carefully crafted mask was breaking, piece-by-piece, and soon, the world would know the real her. They would know the twisted pleasure the dancing flames gave her. They would know the dark desires in her heart. They would know _her_.

But she still had time. If only a little, she still had time. If she could hold up just a bit longer, she felt as though maybe, just maybe, her savior would come.

So she plaster an apologetic smile on her face, made her eyes sparkle slightly, and ignored the uncomfortable twist her stomach gave as she turned to trick Sango once again.

" I'm sorry! I thought one of the logs was slipping out, and I was going to push it back in. I guess I was daydreaming as I did that! Sorry!"

Sango bought it. Her face relaxed, and she smiled too.

" Oh, that's okay, Kagome. You just looked…strange for a minute."

" I get that blank look when I day dream."

Her stomach twist painfully as she realized how easily she could fool Sango, her ' best friend'.

" Keh, you never pay attention to anything, wench!"

His harsh voice cut through her like the sword that hung at his hip.

Of all the people she had ever met, she had hoped he would see through her lie. See the real her. Save her.

But no, he had eyes only for who she had been, not who she was. She had no right to ask him to move on, so she didn't. She simply did what she had become so accustom to doing; fading away, becoming invisible. It was easier to keep up this façade if there was no one to lie to. Because when she was alone, her mask came off, and she could be herself totally. She could forget to hide her desires, and stare into the flames for hours on end, just not caring. She could let the fire into her blood again, and it would burn away her troubles, her pain, her fears.

Her nirvana.

But now? Now she was surrounded by the idiots she had fooled so long ago, and continued to fool today. It didn't matter if they were her friends, it didn't matter that they cared about her. Because it was all a lie. She knew that. She had always known it. She didn't have any friends. People cared about the mask she put up, not the girl behind it. So she was free to deceive them. She had no guilt, because they didn't really cared about her. They loved her mask, and nothing else.

Still, it hurt the most with him. She didn't know if the part of her mind that believed the mask was real fell in love with him first, or if her poor, tortured soul thought he was her savior. She couldn't tell when her heart began to beat for him and him alone, when her faced began to flush when he was near, when her tears fell whenever he abandoned her for…her. All she knew was now she had to stop. She couldn't love him. It was destroying her. Her and her mask. Her mask was teetering on the edge. She didn't need the hurt he inflicted upon her to add to its weight. It was simple, the solution. Stop loving him. How hard could that be?

" I have a name Inuyasha! Use it or don't talk to me at all!" It was harsh, yes, but she was tired. Tired of lying, tired of pretending, tired of trying to stop loving him. It was all a lie anyway. He didn't even care about her. He liked her mask, not her. So why would it be wrong to stop loving him, stop caring about her all together? There was no wrong in that at all. Not as far as she was concerned.

" God, would it kill you to be nice to me!" She was screaming, she knew it, letting her emotion get to her, but she needed this. Just once, let them catch a glimpse of the real her. Just once let them see past the lie, the mask. Just once, be true to who she was. Even if that was a pyromaniac, a psychotic and cruel being.

" Jeez, wench, have a bad day?" He taunted. He was teasing her, playing with her emotions.

_Burn him…_

She knew he couldn't hear it, but _GOD_, did it feel good to think it.

" Yes, as a matter of fact, I _am_ having a bad day! _You_ dragged me back here, even though I asked for three days!"

_Burn him to the ground…_

The fire was beginning to stir, filtering slowly into her bloodstream.

" NO way! We've got jewel shards to find, you can't just run off anytime you like! May I remind you-"

Watch the fire dance over his body, watch it consume him… 

" What! That's it's my fault the jewel shattered! I think about that everyday, dog-boy! So don't go trying to pin a guilt trip on me! It won't work!"

_Wouldn't that be pretty?_

_Wouldn't be wonderful?_

_Wouldn't that make you feel great?_

" What's gotten into you! You're not acting normal! Is it that time of the month again already! GOD, you're so annoying!"

About now, her mask would call for a 'sit' or as fit of tears. But she could do neither. Her vision was red. She couldn't think straight. The fire in her soul was awake, was alive, and it wasn't backing down. She was mad enough to kill, to destroy. The images of a flame covered Inuyasha, begging for her mercy, her love, her kind mask, danced vividly before her eyes. What would she give, to set the fire in her body loose on the ungrateful mongrel? What would she have to sacrifice, to give freedom to her flames and watch them take him? She was prepared to give anything; her life, her soul, her body and mind, it didn't matter, so long as she could watch Inuyasha burn in the fires of her rage and anger. Maybe, in some ways, she wasn't so different from Kikyo.

" Ju-Just leave me alone, Inuyasha." She whispered. Her anger had cooled slightly, her rage calming down. Her mask was sliding back up her face, she could feel it. Her body trembled gently from the effort she had just used to restrain her burning desire. It was sick, and wrong, and a million other things, but she had wanted, so bad. For that single instant, she had let go of her love for Inuyasha, and had wanted nothing more than his demise. As she turned, a slow smirk made its way to her face, maybe, just maybe, Kikyo wasn't so bad after all.

>

It was later that she lay in her sleeping bag, pondering things. Things like life, death, the fire, her mask, the truth, and everything. As she stared up into a star filled sky, she sighed lightly. Why, oh why did Inuyasha have to be like that? Why couldn't he be the savior she needed so desperately? She wasn't an idiot, like he claimed so often. She knew what was happening to her. She was sinking. Her sanity, which she had struggled to hold onto since the night her father left, was slipping through her fingers like grains of sand. Her dreams and her reality were fusing together fast, and the differences, the line between them was blurring and getting hard to find. She wasn't able to tell if she was dreaming or awake. She heard voices in her head. Voices, urging her towards the fire, and all it could do. And that scared her. Terrified her. If someone didn't save her soon, there would be nothing left to save…

High above, in the tree by the campsite, the hanyou was having his own thoughts. Kagome had never reacted like that before. Yes she had yelled. Yes she had screamed. Btu not like that. Not so angrily. Not so violently. He could've reached out and touch the anger in her eyes, he was sure of that. His molten amber eyes darkened as he thought of the look in Kagome's eyes when they had yelled at each other. There was something he had never seen before, a sort of, _blankness_. It was as though something else had taken over her body and mind. Like she wasn't Kagome at all, but someone else.

And that scared him.

Though he refused to admit it, he really cared for the girl from the future. She was so kind and so good to him, he found it hard not to like her. She was the closest friend he had ever had, his very best friend. He had never been able to talk to anyone as he could talk to Kagome. She made him feel at ease, happy and content. He didn't know if that was right, if that was okay. Not with…

…Kikyo.

In the end, it all came back to Kikyo. His promise to become human, Naraku's tricks, their so-called 'betrayal'. It all came back to that. He had to make amends. He had to help Kikyo. It was his fault she was like this, the wandering dead. If he had trusted her, then they wouldn't be in this mess. He wouldn't have gone after the Shikon no Tama, Kikyo wouldn't have sealed him, and then she wouldn't have followed him into death. They could've lived together, happily. Kikyo wouldn't wander around, feeding off the souls of the departed. He had to save her, help her. Avenge her death, by killing Naraku. Then, maybe he would follow Kikyo into Hell, or wish she had her own soul. He had no plan, no ideas. Nothing to go by except two promises.

To save Kikyo.

To protect Kagome.

If Kikyo was to remain on this earth, she needed her own soul. But to get that soul, she'd have to kill Kagome. And that was something the inu hanyou couldn't allow. He did care deeply for Kagome. He may even love her. He didn't know. All he knew was that he had to protect Kagome. He couldn't allow her to be killed, especially by Kikyo. If the jewel could grant Kikyo her own soul, than Kagome would be safe, and he and Kikyo could live together.

But then, what of Kagome? Would she just leave? Go home forever, and never look back? He didn't know. But it hurt, to think she would do that, just abandon him. Hadn't she promised to always remain by his side? Then how could she leave?

But if he had Kikyo, why should he care what Kagome did? She didn't matter, he told himself. Who cared if she went him forever? Or worse, left with, ugh, Koga!

What if, after they killed Naraku and completed the jewel, she left to become the mate of that scumbag wolf? What if she chose to remain by Koga's side instead of his? It made him feel sick. The thought of Koga, or any male for that matter, touching Kagome make him sick with jealousy. No one should ever touch Kagome. No one. She was sacred, untouchable, and unattainable. He prayed to ever god that was listening that Kagome would _not_ become Koga's mate.

He just wanted them to be on speaking terms again. What was to come would come. But right now, he needed his best friend back.

>

She was dreaming again. The inferno. The flames were hundreds of feet above her head. She was being overwhelmed by the beautiful fires. How much more perfect could this get? She was as close to heaven as she could get.

" _Kagome."_

She was spinning around in a circle of flames. The smoke was intoxicating…

" _Kagome.'_

She was high on the scent of burning roses. Her feet had left the ground. In the corners of her mind, she could hear a voice calling out to her.

_" Kagome!"_

Abruptly, the blazing flames began to die down. She was being pulled from her burning paradise, back to the real world. She struggled against he pull, wanting desperately to return to the world on fire, but it was too late, she was awake.

She was staring into a pair if glowing amber eyes. Her heart thudded wildly as she looked into her chocolate eyes.

No! You don't love him! 

I don't love him…

You don't love him. 

I don't love him…

_You don't._

I don't.

He leaned forward, tilting his head slightly.

'What is he doing!' She panicked, and backed away. He smiled sadly, pulling back, and then crossing his arms.

" I'm sorry, okay! Can we stop fighting now?"

Her blood stopped moving.

Inuyasha…_apologizing_!

It didn't seem possible, but here it was. She kicked herself discreetly to make sure she really was awake. The sharp pain in her thigh told her she was wide-awake. Eyes wide as saucers, she nodded dumbly.

" Good." Inuyasha smiled slightly. At least she wasn't still mad at him. She slid back into her sleeping back, prepared to rest again, but there was something he had to ask her.

" Kagome?" He whispered.

" Yes?" Came her reply.

" What was up with you earlier? You seemed so grumpy and mad. It's not like you at all."

She gulped, and steeled herself for another lie. She had gotten so used to this, it came as a second nature to lie, especially to Inuyasha. He was, surprisingly the easiest to fool. He never looked beyond her surface, the girl she presented to him. She'd lied to him a million times in the past, and she would do it again now.

" Oh, you guessed right. I guess I just PMSed, sorry." She even managed to put a blush on her cheeks for the effect. He too, turned as red as his haori, and nodded mutely. He then got up, and jumped up to his perch, high above their slumbering comrades. As she watched him go, his words rang again her ears.

" _It's not like you."_

She rolled over in the sleeping bag, so her bag faced him. Her face scrunched up her face, one, tiny tear escaping her closed lids.

" How do you know what I'm like." She whispered to him, to her friends, to the world, knowing they would never hear.

" You don't know anything about me."

>

High above her, deep in a forest tree, a figure observed the camp, his lips twisting into a smirk. The two humans, the hanyou, the demons they all held little interest to him. His orange red eyes focused on the little miko, and the little miko alone.

She was so spunky, so full of spirit. So _fiery_! And that's exactly what he loved in a woman. A spark of fire. That little miko was so full of the flames that he adored so! It was going to fun, to get to see up close. If her fire could have him this excited from this far away, then imagine how it would affect him up close!

But there was something else. He could see it, even if her friends couldn't. There was something deeper to her. Something behind the cheery mask she put up for her friends. He was to find out what that was. He was going to get into her mind, behind that mask, and see the real her.

" They may not know a thing about you, little miko, but I intend to know _everything_."

>

Okay, please tell me what you think of chapter two. I really hope you like it. I want at least 3-5 reviews before I give you chapter 2, okay?

Responses:

**King of Chaos**: Thanks so much! I'm new of and I'm so happy you like my work!

**Iluvramen5990**: I really appreciate your review! I hope you keep reading this story, and that you like it! I wrote this chapter as soon as I read your review, because you seemed to want it so much! Thanks again!

**Misunderstood-roker**: Wow, that's such a positive response to my writing! I glad you think my story is " fuckin good!" Here's the next chapter, so please keep reviewing my story.

To all readers:

Please review. I'll take any advice you have to offer. You can even flame if you want. There's a chance I may not respond, but feel free to anyway.

Okay, until next time.

Maiden of Sin.


	3. Intoxicating Blaze

Disclaimer: I own only this plot, and several O.C.'s. Nothing else.

**Inferno **

_The more you fight, the brighter it burns._

Chapter 2: Intoxicating Blaze

" _**Burn with me."**_

_She couldn't' see the figure, not through the curtain of hazy smoke. She could barely even tell that there was a voice, she was so perfectly consumed by the fire. She didn't care if this was reality or not, if it was only a dream. What did such insignificant details mean, anyway? Nothing, not to her. Her fires would go on burning, dream or no dream, because she could make them. She could force the fires to blaze and dance for her, forever and ever and ever more._

" _**Burn with me forever."**_

_The voice was stronger; she could see a faint outline in the flames. The deep voice, so powerful and warm, called to her, to the very deepest regions of her suppressed soul. It didn't matter who it was. They understood fire, and that was it. They understood the beauty and unthinkable majesty that was fire. She was spinning in the flames, she blank eyes seeking the owner of the voice._

" _**Would you like that?"**_

_It was coy, seductive, and sent a tingle down her back. The fire danced closer, encasing a form in its center. The speaker, no doubt. She could make out the spikes of his hair, and the firm muscle build he had. She twisted, with a cat-like grace, over towards the flames, her body responding to the male's seductive voice. She swung her hips in tantalizing circles, stretching her hands up all the way to the sky, entangling them in her raven locks. Her felt her hair tumble down over her shoulders again, her hands sliding down her body slowly. She was gasping for breath right now, inhaling the sweet smoke, the scent of burning roses, all over again. She was utterly intoxicated, utterly lost in the fire's grasp, and loving every dangerous, heated moment._

" _**Would you like to burn with me?"**_

_" More than anything."_

_Her own voice matched his, her tones deep and alluring. She swayed again to the imaginary rhythm, dancing to the beat of the flames. From the center of the flaming pillar, a hand reached out, offering her the chance._

" _**Then come, burn with m."**_

_Her eyes closed to halfway, as she ran her finger over the palm and fingertips of the stranger's hand. She felt the slight tremor that went through him, the same as the shivers that erupted upon her. She slowly knelt in front of the offered hand, and brought her lips to the center of his palm._

" _**Burn with me, little miko, and I will show just how bright our inferno shall be."**_

_He tasted of ashes, of sweet cedar smoke, and hot coals. His skin was ablaze with the fire that pumped through his body like blood, alive with the smoke that was his air. She pulled away from his skin, breathing fast. He knew of her obsessions, of her dark desires. He understood the twisting of her soul, the deep lust of the dancing fires she possessed. A savior, if not the one she had wanted, then one who would do better._

" _**Will you burn with me?"**_

_So soft, so sweet, how could she make any other choice? Her plush, pink lips opened gently, her ebony tresses, tussled from the heat and her dance, coiling around her, her chocolate eyes as blank as ever. The answer formed in the back of her throat, and slipped up onto her tongue…_

> 

Kagome hadn't been herself lately. That much was for sure. She seemed distant, quiet, and moody. At times, all she would do was stare into the flickering fire of their camp. It had to be a trick of that same firelight, but her eyes seemed strangely blank, and unemotional, almost like she wasn't there, almost like the flames were burning away her soul.

No, Inuyasha shook his head. That was stupid. This was _Kagome_ they were talking about. She had probably just failed a test, or something meager like that. It was nothing for him to worry about. She would get over it in time.

This matter settled, Inuyasha glanced down at the sleeping maiden, unable to help himself. Kagome was always very peaceful when she slept. She looked as though all her problems faded away as she slept. It was something Inuyasha would give anything to be able to do. He must always be up, always watching over the members of his band. He felt that it was his obligation to protect them, to be awake to spot any danger that might come their way. It was the least he could do, for his friends.

It wasn't that he resented them for their peaceful slumber, but just once, he wished he could settle into a sleep where dreams of the past didn't haunt him, where he could be safe and happy, if only for a little while. But no, he must keep an all night watch over the ones who had become what he may call a family.

So that's what he did, watch the night and survey his friends in silent envy. But this night, something was different. Kagome was twisting slightly in her sleeping bag, shifting her body in different, and somewhat procative positions. Her fingers unconsciously curled up in her hair, raven locks becoming hopelessly tangled in her long fingers. She let out several soft moans, hushed as she pressed her mouth to the skin of her bare arm. As she shifted, the bottom of her shirt rode up, her creamy abdomen exposed for the silent watcher. Inuyasha stared in slight fascination, wondering what she could be dreaming of. The heady scent that spiraled up to him from her resting place suggested a passion filled dream, a forbidden act that she wished would occur. Unable to tear his eyes from her still twist form, the hanyou couldn't exactly block the less than pure thoughts that clouded his mind as he questioned the nature of Kagome's dreams. He couldn't seem t block the image of her writhing body, her twisting hips, and flushed face. The black tresses, her fingers still entangled, splayed out upon her white pillow, contrasting to it beautifully. She was quite a lovely thing, when her dreams were less than innocent. Inuyasha, even in his now fevered state, could see that. He gulped in cool air, in the hopes it would calm the raging blood that pounded in his ears. Finally, as he heard her erratic breathing calm slightly and even out, he found the power within him to turn away. As he turned his silver stained head, he caught sight of her blank and feverish brown eyes opening. He heard the sweet breath that escaped her parted lips. He could still see her flushed face. Cheeks aflame for an unknown reason. Particially red from his previous thought, the inu hanyou chose no to look at the miko, chose not to hear a word she said. Perphaps it was best. He wouldn't have liked what he heard. Not one bit.

> 

Kagome sat straight up in her sleeping bag, breathing fast. She had had dreams of fire before, but never like _that_! That dream had been so vivid, so alive, so passionate! She had never felt so whole as when the figure had offered her his hand. She had never known a greater passion as when she had danced before the stranger, swaying her hips and twisting her body into alluring positions. Her body was still half responding to that deep, rich, _perfect_ voice. It still ached with the will to grab hold of his hand, and allow him to burn her away to ashes. The eerie grin crept up to her face, transforming her sweet, little face into the look of a madwoman's. She couldn't help but smirk. The person in her dream knew her, the real her. He understood what she was like, what she thrived on. He saw her sick and twisted desires and applauded them, shared them with her. She felt so..so…so

So _alive_!

Never, not since her fifth birthday had she felt so much like…like herself! She truly felt like her, like the girl she could be, the girl behind the mask and the lies. Who was that stranger? An illusion, brought on by her desperation and stress? That was likely. She, in all her hope for a savior, had created one herself. It was perfectly reasonable, if not disappointing. She had wanted, more than anything in this world and the next, to have someone who understood her, and love her for it. So why shouldn't her mind come up with someone like that?

And yet, even in the dark recesses of her mind, he felt real. He felt like flesh and blood. He was someone, out there, in the big world, just waiting for her to find him. She knew it sounded crazy, but hey, she _was_ crazy. She didn't need it to be possible, because she had long before stopped believe in 'impossible'. It was a word, designed by someone who wanted to give up, a quitter who didn't think something could be done. Maybe they were right, but Kagome, for all her insanity, thought that the only thing making something impossible was think it _was_ impossible. Before her fifteenth birthday, everyone said time travel was impossible. And her she was, seventeen, and living proof that impossible meant nothing.

So she sat, contemplating the reality in her dream, the figure's existence. She mulled over possibilities, over solutions one at a time, before finally coming to a decision.

" What does it matter, if he's real or not? He's real to me. He sees me, and knows me, and can save me. Even if he isn't real, I love him like he's real. I can pretend, if only for a little while, that I'm in his arms for real, and maybe that will keep me going."

She smiled gently to herself, albeit sadly. She knew that she was simply merging her dreams and her reality together, and she supposed that was bad, but she didn't really care. Maybe once, maybe a long time ago, but now? Now she didn't care. All she wanted was someone who would save her. Save her from the oblivion slowly sinking into. That was all she cared for. And so, her dreams could become real if required, and her reality, her precious, beautiful reality, was fading into a thick fog, a haze in her shattering mind.

Satisfied with her dark musings, she snuggled back down into her warm cocoon, praying silently for another dream where the stranger in the flames offered her the chance to burn.

> 

Sango stretched lightly as she woke from a deep, and peaceful slumber. Her taunt and somewhat sore muscles smoothed out slightly as she reached her hands behind her head. Twisting slightly, trying to rid her neck of a crick, she caught sight of the spot where the lecherous monk should've slept. There was an outline of his form still pressed into the dewy, green grass, but the purple robed man was not there to fill it. She frowned slightly, unable to block the image of a dazed Miroku following after some demon disguised as a beautiful woman, and then getting caught in some trap.

Growling in frustration, she turned away from the spot. What did she care, if Miroku wandered off? He was strong enough to look after himself. With her eyes closed in irritation, she didn't notice the bulky form beside her.

" Good morning, my dear Sango."

" EEEEK!"

> 

Aroused from the light slumber he usually fell into around dawn or so, when he was sure nothing would happen, Inuyasha glanced around. He saw Shippo cuddled up to a sleeping Kirara, Kagome, (here he blushed lightly as his less than clean thoughts resurfaced) with her back to him, sound asleep. The yell, as far as he could tell must have come from the now enraged demon slayer, who was now chasing the amorous monk round the campsite, Hiraikotsu held high above her head.

" You hentai!"

CRASH!

" Sango, Sango onegai!"

BOOM!

" How DARE you sneak over to my side when I was asleep! You…You…You idiotic pervert!"

Another CRASH.

Rolling his eyes at the two humans antics, the hanyou turned his attention to the small sigh he had just heard. A quick glance to his left told him the young miko was up, and rubbing eyes. Her midnight hair tumbled down her shoulders, swaying ever so slightly in the morning breeze. Her cheeks were rose coloured, and her chocolate brown eyes were glowing from within. She delicately pushed aside her sleeping bag, freeing her long and smooth legs from its warmth. Inuyasha, realizing he was ogling Kagome quite openly, quickly turned his head and faked an interest in Sango's pursuit of Miroku. He heard the girl stumble over to the enormous yellow backpack, and yank out some packs or ramen for him and the others. Sighing once more, she pulled a match from her pocket, and lit the smoldering wood that was their campfire.

Inuyasha watched in guarded delight as she went about her usual morning activities, boiling the water in a kettle and cooking the breakfast. She seemed, in his opinion, much happier than she had as of late, and that made him curious. Was she simply lacking a good night's sleep? Or did her dreams, those strange visions presented only to her, have something to do with this happier disposition? So wrapped up was he in his musings, that he barely heard her call out to everyone.

" It's ready!"

> 

He opened his red/orange eyes to see the bright sun rise over the tips of the mountainous horizon. Still flushed from the sweet dreams he had experienced the previous night, he leaned his head back against the wall of the cave he had sought refuge in. Smirking as he pictured her blank and beautiful eyes once more, he thought the hanyou a fool.

Last night, while he knew that stupid half-breed and his band slept, he had watched the little miko, with all her fire and sparks dancing for the world to see. He was captivated by the hypnotized look her eyes took on when she stared into the living flames. Never, not once in the time he had been given life, had he ever seen anyone stare at a fire like she did. It pulled something in his lonely soul, made him want to see her, the real her.

The real her. Yes, that was why he thought the hanyou was a complete fool. That idiot couldn't even see the girl for what she was, all he saw was the mask she presented to the world. The hanyou had fallen for that stupid mask, the lie the girl fed him as the truth. How could anyone not see the deep passion in her eyes? The flitting insanity that entered her face when she was provoked? How could anyone not tell the beautiful, amazing, fiery young woman that their 'Kagome' really was?

It sickened him, to think that no one knew enough about her, or cared enough about her to try and see passed the mask. She _was_ very good at fooling them, though. Perhaps she had a lot of experience.

So he had watched her, took in all of the tidbits she unknowingly gave to him, absorbed all she unwittingly told him. He watched her, making no secret of his fascination, and stared at her lithe and supple form to his heart's (and body's) content. He would not say he lusted for her, for it was not true. He did not lust for her body, but her true self, her secret self, which she hid from all the world. He wanted to know her, see her, be with her and have her tell him all her sorrows. He lusted to know what it would be like to be near her, constantly at her side, and hear each secret she kept from the world, but eagerly whispered it in his ear.

So, he had gotten to know her the only way he could.

He had seen her dreams.

In the shadow of a twilight moon, he had slunk into her fevered dreams of an inferno, and seen her true self. Her burning desires of bright fires, her love of all things to do with flames, even her own insanity, which revealed itself as she danced among the columns of the blaze. He had been ensnared from the very beginning, taken in by her tantalizing movements and twisted thoughts. How could he not be captured, by another fire lover?

So he had cloaked himself in a cape of fire, and appeared to her. He offered her a chance to burn, to reside forever in the fires she so loved. He had given her his hand, ready to take her into his burning world and show just how great and inferno could grow, just how much it could consume. Her swaying dance and soft, yet alluring, tones had whispered to him her lust to burn forever with him, and he had welcomed it. She had kissed his palm so sweetly, so surely, he felt light-headed. How could one girl affect him so?

He had been so ready to sweep her up in his fire, and then some higher being interfered. She was awakened, before she could accept his offer. She was torn from her flaming dreams before she could grasp his hand. He cursed whatever god sought to keep him from the little miko, but it didn't matter. Nothing was going to keep him from her, not now that he had glimpsed at her true self.

Smirking to himself, pleased that he had the courage in him to defy whatever divine being wanted him to stay away from the little miko, he rose from his resting place. He turned to face the new day, and clenched his fist.

A stirring began somewhere inside him. Deep within his being, it spread, consuming his bloodstream with its heat. Slowly, purposely, he unclenched his fist, to reveal a small, but very real, very hot, ball of flames, brushing against his palm.

" And now," He said to no in particular, with the same deep, flattering tones Kagome had heard in her dreams, " to cause some mischief."

> 

Okay, here's chapter 2! In the previous chapter, I thanked the ppl who reviewed the story before I had to delete it, so I'm sorry if anyone got confused.

Anywho, here are my thank you's from last chapter:

**Misunderstood-roker**: Hey, I'm glad you like the fic. In answer to your question, sort of. It is Kagome/Inuyasha, but Inuyasha is being a real idiot for a good part of this fic, and doesn't realize how he _really_ feels about Kagome until after…something _big_ happens. You'll have to read to find out, but I can guarantee you that there will be Kag/Inu hints throughout the whole thing, and things will get…er, shall we say complicated later on. Luv ya!

**Wings Of Ash**: Sorry I took so long to update. Writer's block. I've been trying to plan out what content will be in what chapter and such, so now I'm up to about 20 chapters. Anywho, I'm glad you like my fic, and I hope you keep reading.

Okay, to all readers, R&R! Heck, you can even flame me. There's no guarantee I'll respond, but you can do it nonetheless.

Okay, bye everyone,

Until Next time,

Maiden of Sin.

P.S.- Again, I want 3-5 reviews before I post the next chapter. Bye!


	4. Like Burning Coals

Disclaimer: If I owned anything, would I be sitting at home, writing a fanfic? I didn't think so.

Okay, I know you people probably hate and are just about ready to hunt me down in an angry mob, but I got so caught up in school (homework's a bitch), and I had a serious case of writer's block. But, I'll try to do two chapters to make up for it.

**Inferno **

_The more you fight it, the brighter it burns._

Chapter 3: Like Burning Coals

Kagome grumbled under her breath as the pot heated slowly. In her hand, a packet of ramen was clasped. Her ebony tresses danced gently in the passing breeze. Sango chased Miroku around the campsite, Hiraikotsu held high above her brunette head. The lecherous monk ran away from her desperately, fearing for his very life. Kagome shook her head at his antics, silently scolding him for sneaking next to Sango as she slept.

High above them, in the tree over looking their camping grounds, sat the silver haired hanyou that held her heart. Or at least, the heart of the girl she presented to them. It was at times like this, when no one around her seemed to register her existence, that she could reflect and mull over the aspects of her life.

She glanced over at the burning fire, the familiar heat flooding into her blood. The raw, hot feeling shot through her body like a bullet. Had this been another time, a younger time, she would have trembled, half afraid of what was happening. But this wasn't a younger time, and she was far too accustom to the feeling of the fire invading her senses.

Fisting her hands with the material of her skirt, she fought down the all-too-expected urges.

Release the fire.

Burn everything.

Watch those fools who loved her mask …

_Burn forever._

Kagome froze up, the world around her fading into nothingness.

>

Inuyasha could smell the change in her scent the instant it happened. He had become so used to her sweet scent, that gentle fragrance, that he could tell when even the tiniest thing changed. Some would say that proved he loved Kagome, proved she meant everything to him. Of course, he scoffed at such an idea. Kagome was his best friend, someone who meant a lot to him. So why shouldn't he know her scent off by heart? Why should he think of her often? Why should he be drawn to her form as it writhed to her impure dreams?

He shook his head as the last thought formed within his mind. It conjured up the image of Kagome, sweaty and drowning in obvious passion, as her dreams reached their fevered peak. He had been, shamefully, attracted to the sweet, heady scent she gave off, and the barely whispered moans that escaped her pink lips last night. Inuyasha had experienced a pang of lust and wanting, as he had never experienced before. He had, for several moments, wanted Kagome.

Now, Inuyasha wasn't as stupid as he was thought to be. He knew that what he felt for Kagome at certain points in time went beyond friendly companionship. He wouldn't deny that Kagome was beautiful. With her long black hair, large brown eyes, and soft looking lips, she was a beautiful sight to behold. Inuyasha wasn't fool enough to deny that.

But he was fool enough to deny what he felt way deep down in his heart whenever he looked at her. He denied the weird heat that rose through his body when she smiled at him, denied the euphoric cloud he resided upon when her hand brushed against his. He was too stubborn to admit that he felt something far deeper than common attraction to a female with Kagome.

Fool of a hanyou.

>

Kagome sat, frozen in her daze.

That voice, that man's voice.

It echoed through her being, pounding stronger than her heartbeat. She trembled with anticipation as his smooth voice invaded her memory, blocking out all things. She could only think of his intoxicating flames. All she could feel was the heat of his burning gaze, the gaze she could not see, but knew to be there.

She knew he was real. She knew he was a living, breathing thing; a being that walked this earth. Only a real creature, a creature bound to this world, could make her feel like this. Could make her heart pound ceaselessly. Could make her breath catch in the sweet recesses of her throat.

Kagome knew she might be foolish, very foolish indeed. But what did she care? What did it matter if she was being foolish? No mere human can be anything but foolish, when they fall in love.

Kagome didn't care who he was, what he was like, or even what sort of being he was. It didn't matter. He could see her for what she was; he could love her for what she was like. Any creature, demon, human, or other, who could do, that held her poor battered heart in his hands

>

He grinned, surveying his work. The thick black smoke drifted up in spirals, curling in the breeze. Flames, tiny from their exhausting dance, still twittered among the burning embers, snaking to and fro, like serpents. He watched them with mild fascination, his mind wandering elsewhere.

To the group he was trying to lure with his little display, in fact.

Or more specifically, the little miko who traveled with that group, Kagome.

He smirked, as he thought of her, beautiful in her hypnotic lust of fires, sensual in her twisting dance to honour them. She was a breath-taking sight. And the hanyou who she traveled with, the one she had so freely given her affections to, was the biggest fool he had ever seen. That idiot spurned her, in favour of another, though he had trouble imagining one more beautiful then her. He shook his head at the halfling's foolishness. He would win.

Fire attracts fire.

>

Sango threw a glance now and then at Kagome. She had not been utterly convinced by Kagome the night before, as she stared into the fire. There had been something in her eyes that didn't belong, that didn't seem right, yet was so natural in her eyes.

It terrified Sango to no end.

Since this journey had begun, Kagome had always been so bouncy, so happy and carefree, despite all the terrible and twisted things she had witnessed. It shocked Sango that someone could be that upbeat and happy, even when the world around was a cold dark place filled with cruel enemies, who were calling for your blood. It made Sango respect Kagome, for simply being her.

Sango never had a little sister. Her mother had died in the birth of Kohaku, and the boy had barely survived as well. Her father and her brother were the only blood family she truly had, and now even they were gone. But still, she had always wished for a little sister. Some who she could discuss girlie things with. Sango could not bear to loose anyone else, especially someone who had become so close to her heart.

She would defend Kagome from whatever threatened her, even if it meant Sango's death.

>

Kagome's head shot up in one swift motion.

The familiar feeling invaded her senses, drowning everything else out.

The knowledge rose slowly in her body, her vision clouding with soft purple and harsh black light, mingling together and dancing around each other. She stood up straight, ignoring the puzzled looks she received from the others.

" Kagome?" Inuyasha questioned. She didn't turn.

" Kagome?" Sango tried. This time, she was rewarded with an answer.

" Jewel shard. Just east of here."

And she took off running, a streak of lightning on the flat plains. Her body, unused to this, screamed in protest, but was ignored, as she tore down the path, fighting desperately against the wind to reach her goal. Normally, there would not be such a need to get going, would not be the almost all consuming urge to find that shard. But there was something different in the air. A sickly sweet scent that had gotten a hold of her. A sense deep within the core of her being of what she would find.

Fire.

There was fire with the jewel shard.

>

" Kagome!"

Inuyasha could only watch in horror as Kagome took off like a bullet from one of those guns she had always talked about. He had never seen her run like that. Her speed far surpassed a human. She was nothing but a green and black blur as she ran across the plain, heading the direction of what he could only assume to be a shikon no kakera, a sacred jewel shard. The hanyou was in such a state of shock, he didn't even see Kirara transform behind him, or Sango and Miroku jump atop her.

" Inuyasha!" Miroku's voice broke his daze.

" Come on, we have to catch up with her! Kami only knows what sort of trouble is waiting for her!" Sango's voice was cold and even, but with his sensitive ears, Inuyasha caught the tremor of desperation in her tone. Sango was worried. Miroku looked scared. And poor little Shippo was having a panic attack. Inuyasha closed his unique amber eyes for a moment, urging his racing heart and ice-cold blood to calm. Everything would be fine. He could catch Kagome in no time, right?

>

_Wrong._

They never knew, could never know, what sort of strength desperation and longing gave to her. She wasn't just running toward the fire, she was racing to meld herself with those heaven sent flames. Her fierce love of the dancing ribbons of heat fuelled her body in ways she hadn't known could exist. She tore through the land that separated her from her beloved flames, a mere blur to the eye. She wasn't human, she couldn't be.

Inuyasha was fast. Koga was a speed _God_. Even Sesshomaru could move like lightning if the need ever arose.

But not one could've caught Kagome as she ran to the fire. The powers the Shikon no Tama had left, when it once inhabited her body, coursed through her vein and mind, blinding and hot. The jewel was connected to her, as it had never been to Kikyo. It _lived_ inside her, bonding its souls to hers, long before that fateful day. When it was torn from her flesh so violently, part of its power had become dislodged, and embedded itself inside her body, not as a physical manifestation, but a simple, raw power. And it was that same power, coupled with her insane desires, that gave her strength.

Before her, she could see a column of smoke rising, dancing on the horizon. The black and purple lights flooded from that smoking heap, blurring her already dazed sense with their intensity. She slowed, calming her pace down to a less alarming rate. She came out of her blur, coming into a pace normal for humans. Finally coming to a stop by a still burning baby flames, she gazed lovingly at it, before turning to survey the area.

It had once been a village.

Smoldering heaps of buildings lay around, wreckage of the villain's. Some houses still glowed with dying embers, others actually alight with fire. She spun fully around, taking in the saddening, yet up lifting sight.

She should be sad.

But this was _fire_!

Still spinning, she let out a soft laugh, bring her hands to circle around with her in the air. She twisted faster and faster, laughter pealing from her plush lips. It wasn't until she heard the voice that she stopped.

" Well now, what do we have here?"

Kagome froze, the voice's deep and sensual tone bringing memories of her sweet, fevered dream bubbling up into her brain. She turned quickly, to face her opponent, calling to the miko powers somewhere deep inside her. But she never had the chance to use them.

Standing before her, decked out in hakama's of ebony, with flames dancing on the bottom, licking his waist, and his shirt open particially to reveal a well toned and tanned chest, was the hottest guy she had ever seen.

Her mouth dropped open as she took him in, from his shiny black boots, to his spiky, red'orange hair, tussled by the fire's winds. She felt her body begin to heat up in response to the sexy tone of his voice. Her pupil's dilated, the blank stare arising in her chocolate orbs. A seductive smile made its way to her full lips, and she looked at him through passion-glazed eyes.

And she noticed he surveyed her as well, with red eyes like burning coals….

>

KK, read and review please!

I'm soooooo sorry I haven't updated but school has become difficult! I will try my hardest to get the next chapter up tomorrow, but I promise it will come this week!

Love,

Maiden of Sin


	5. Fires of Passion

Again so sorry, homework. Unfortunately for you people, I love my education too much to let anything really get in the way. So if I don't update for a while, it's because I have had a lot of homework, or a project due. So please, bear with me. As soon as the next holiday hits, I will be at the computer, typing my little heart out. But for now, school comes first. But anywho, here is chapter 4 which I sincerely hope you will all enjoy.

**Inferno **

_The more you fight it, the brighter it burns._

Chapter 4: Fires of Passion

To the people of the village, the creature that came running through was nothing more than a red and silver blur. It shot in between the huts at such speeds that the flaps that were used as doors flung themselves outwards as it passed by. No human could run that fast, all the villagers knew. A demon must be passing through, desperate to get to its destination. Perhaps a great battle of demons was about to occur. Maybe the creature was trying to group up with a pack that would later attack all neighbouring villages. Whatever the reason for the creature's appearance, it had the villagers apprehensive and afraid. They looked about suspiciously, clutching their hoes and shovels, in hopes that these objects would provide some protection, should they be attacked. To their great surprise however, a few seconds, apparently following the blur, came two humans, riding a great cat.

It was not uncommon to see a man and a woman traveling together, but to _fly_ upon a demon cat, that was a sight. Few had ever seen a tame demon, never mind one so large. The villagers backed away, gave the couple wide birth, for fear of their powers. Upon the woman's shoulder, there rested a giant boomerang, and the man held a staff. The villagers stared after them, long after they faded from view. Whispers traveled fast through the village, that demons were coming. And from high above, upon a cliff, a woman dressed in the garb of a Shinto priestess, surrounded by pale, snake-like creatures, watched.

I >

nuyasha tore through the village, regardless of the looks he received. He jumped high into the air, tasting the wind on his tongue as he did so. In his mind, Kagome's words echoed.

" _Jewel shard. Just east of here."_

Kagome had sensed jewel shards before. It was about the only thing she was really good for, here in Feudal Japan. But never, _never_, in the two years he had known her, had she ever reacted so…..so _fanatically_ to the presence of a jewel shard. The way she had taken off, so surely, so quickly, so unexpectedly, it raddled him. He didn't like the fact that he hadn't been able to see it coming. Inuyasha prided himself on knowing Kagome inside out; knowing all there was to know about her (which, in his opinion, wasn't all that much). He liked to say he could read Kagome like a book, that she was completely predictable to him. But this….this threw off everything he knew. Or at least, everything he _thought_ he knew.

Based in his knowledge, Kagome would never go running off alone when there was a jewel shard. It was just basic logic. She could barely even aim an arrow, so of course she needed him to protect her. She needed him to look after her. She _needed_ him. Period. End of sentence. End of discussion. Kagome needed him, as Kikyo never had. Kikyo could look after herself, protect herself. But Kagome? This just wasn't her element. And Inuyasha was there to make sure she made it through alive. So she knew better than to take off without someone (i.e.-_him_) to protect her. It was fact. It was proven. It was just the way the freakin' world worked. So why, _why_ in the Seven Hells he knew there to be, was Kagome taking off with no protection, no thought? It didn't make sense. It couldn't make sense. It wasn't like her. Not at all.

He was so wrapped up in his rantings and musings, he barely gave thought to the next question to enter his mind:

_Why hadn't he caught her yet?_

>

She was burning.

Her entire body must be in fire.

Mind-numbing heat danced its way up her limbs, as she allowed them to shift gently, in the hot wind off the still burning fires. Her eyes were glazed over, a common effect the flames had on her poor, unsuspecting body. She trembled in anticipation, as she watched the object of her obsessions sway closer.

Only, it wasn't fire.

Before her stood a man. A man decked out in ebony hakamas with a matching shirt, and flames, dancing across his body, both tangible and not. His skin was tanned, from exposure to the hot, hot sun above them.

' Mmm, hot is right.' Her seduced mind whispered in a throaty voice that she had never used before. The shirt was opened to reveal a well-toned chest, with just the barest hint of a sweat upon it. She trailed her unrestrained eyes up to his face, where he stood cockily watching her, a smirk plastered on those very kissable lips. His features were chiseled, defined, and yet not overly so, with just a hint of feminine refineties. His hair was a curious mixture of blood red and burning orange, arrayed in spikes that danced atop his head like fire. But it was his eyes that held her captive and seduced. The were not overly large, but large enough to stick out. They held a dark, passionate look as he surveyed her, bringing his pink tongue out to moisten his lips. The dark look made them burn only more intensely.

They were red.

Red as a rose.

Red as blood.

Red as the hot coals of a fire.

And hot damn!

They were turning her on.

Kagome let a lazy, hopefully sexy smile work its way to her plush lips, as she sway gently over to him, her hips swinging just a little too much for it to be natural. Her hand curled itself in her ebony locks with a simple twist of her wrist, and she cocked her head to one side, allowing a fake pretense of innocence to take her over. But even she, with all her acting powers, couldn't disguise the heavy, lustful look in her eyes.

Nor could she squash the throaty, breathy, utterly seductive tone her voice took on as she spoke.

" And who might you be?"

>

He was proud to say the least.

He had been expecting the group to come running as soon as the pretty little miko had sense the jewel shard he was carrying. He had expected a closer view of her, standing behind the hanyou for protection. He had expected to only catch swift glances of her, as the group tried to 'protect' her from the battle.

He had never once dreamed she would come running, all on her own.

She had come tearing into the remnants of the village, like a falling star streaking across the night sky. She had taken one look around her, and began spinning and laughing, a sweet, tinkling sound, in circles around the place. She was so different from the sultry, twisting girl he had met in the fiery dreams that he had, for a moment, wondered if it wasn't her. But then he had glanced the fanatical gleam in her glazed over chocolate brown eyes, and he knew it was her. And he could not help but smile and her adorable antics.

The mood had changed drastically, however, the instant he spoke.

She must have recognized his voice from her dreams, for her laughing tone vanished, and was replaced by the hot, swaying, seductive maiden he had asked to burn with the night before. She had twisted to him, her breaths panting from her in rasping puffs, her lips parted in a teasing manner, and her body language screaming for pleasure. He was beginning to feel just the slightest bit of excitement tingling in him, especially between his legs. He had no problem imagining her in less-than-pure positions, writhing underneath him as the two of them-

" And who might you be?"

He sultry, hot voice broke him from his perverted daze. He gazed fully at her now, taking in all the features of her body and face. Her eyes were large and earth-hued, dazed and passionate. Her nose was sweet and button-like in a childish way. Her lips were pink and full, kissable to say the least. The column of her throat was obscured only slightly by the green collar of her rather skimpy kimono. Thought the white shirt she was garbed in was lose, he could see that the swells of her twin breasts were large and becoming to her curvy figure. The skirt, which during her swaying had slid down, rested on the curves of her hips, which were shapely and rounded. Her legs, which emerged from the short forest green cloth, were slender and delicate, yet muscular in their own right, from what he could only assume to be shard hunting. The curves of her arms were hidden by white sleeves, but he could forgive her that for the show of her legs, which he could feast his eyes upon whenever he wished. As he trailed back up to her eyes, he noticed a distinct smirk upon her face.

" Like what you see?" She asked in that same, breathy tone. He immediately noticed how different she acted around him than her friends. She was showing him the real her.

" I could ask you the same thing." He purred seductively, watching the barest hint of colour grace those beautiful cheeks.

" I'll take that a yes then." He chuckled cockily. But before he could celebrate his victory any sooner, she sashayed up to him, and ran her index finger down the contours of his exposed chest. He could repress the shudder of delight that ran through him.

" But of course." She muttered airily, tracing the line of his abs with the finger. His own fingers itched to grab hold of her and have his way, but he forced those primal urges down. Now was neither the time, nor place for such activities. They would come at a later date.

" You haven't answered my question, you know." Up his chest again. " It's very impolite," She was making circles with her finger in the center of his chest, " to keep a lady waiting."

He smirked, a plan formulating in his mind. He leaned down, his face barely a breath's away from hers, his lips almost brushing to hers.

" My name's Moeru-shi." He whispered to her, his voice barely heard above the winds. On the horizon, the sun was blotted out partial by a figure, who was running as though Hell itself was at his heels. But the two didn't notice. His name echoed inside her, and she was lost in those burning-coal coloured eyes. He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride rush through him, as he realized just how captivated he held her.

" My name's Moeru-shi." He repeated. " And I'm everything you've been waiting for."

And as the figure darted into their sight, clothed in a blood red kimono, with silver hair flying out behind him, and golden eyes fixed upon the two, observing their closeness with something akin to rage, the fire demon called Moeru-shi did something unthinkable.

>

Kagome had never felt attraction like this. It pulled at her very being. It twisted itself around in her, making her dance on strings. She had never felt this kind of heat pool inside her around Inuyasha. She was completely on fire; alive and burning like a twig in an inferno. It was getting hard to breath, hard to think, hard to even think. She could feel the heat slowly consuming her, eating away at all her problems, her fears, her lies.

Through her heavy daze, she saw the man looking her over, hotly gazing at her feminine curves. She saw him eye her short skirt in favour, as so many perverted men did in this age.

But somehow, from him, it was a compliment.

She couldn't keep the smirk from her face as she looked back up into her eyes.

" Like what you see?" Her voice was still hot and breathy.

" I could ask you the same thing." He countered.

She could feel her cheeks heat up very slightly. So he had noticed how she surveyed him as she swayed toward him slowly. Well, she couldn't deny it was the truth. She'd show him to try and embarrass her. She waltzed up to him, making sure her hips swayed as she walked. She stopped before him, and ran her index finger down the skin of his chest that his open shirt exposed. She felt him tense beneath her touch.

" But of course." Her voice came out soft, but no less sexy. Her finger slide down rapidly, and she traced the lines of his well-defined abs as she felt him shudder just the tiniest bit. She couldn't help but feel a quick rush of pride, knowing her touch did that to him. She could practically see what he was thinking, as he tense when she drew a line up his stomach once more.

" You haven't answered my question, you know." She delighted in the sensations touching his skin made her feel. " It's very impolite," she was having fun, pleasuring him and herself at the same time, " to keep a lady waiting."

She saw him smirk, and knew it meant something was about to happen. He leaned down close, causing her heart to leap into her throat. His breath ghosted across her face, and she barely heard his whispered words.

" I'm Moeru-shi."

Mmm, he smelled of burning cedar.

" I'm Moeru-shi." A pause. " And I'm everything you've been waiting for."

Her heart ceased to beat for an instant, as she stared into his burning eyes.

' It _is_ him.' She whispered to herself. ' It is the one I was waiting for'

Her mind went blank as he breeched every line of first encounter, save for one thought:

'_My savior_.'

>

From high above, a maiden watched the scene play out, unnoticed by the two. She watched the girl arrive and dance, only to be stopped by the handsome fire demon. She watched the two interact, their flirtatious manners, and coy looks. She watched as they danced about each other invoked heights of passions that neither knew existed. She watched them feed the fires that burned within their hearts and blood.

Lady Kikyo had never been one to spy upon the love lives of others. When she stumbled across the two, half by mistake, and half intending to, she thought perhaps it would be interesting, to see her reincarnation fare against and enemy without Inuyasha to protect her. Kikyo had never suspected that the girl and the demon would become so close, so fast. Nonetheless, Kikyo had always learned by the powers of observation. So she stayed and watched the two flirt and smile and smirk.

And now, she watched them as the demon known as Moeru-shi crushed his mouth to Kagome's in a bruising and passionate kiss.

>

Ha, didn't see that coming, did you?

Anywho, to all my reviews, thanks, I really , really owe you guys for sticking with me, even though I don't update. You people ROCK!

Anywho,(again) I'm thinking of making this story, maybe 20 chapters at the least. I want to stretch it out throughout the entire year, because I have this wicked ending planned, and I want you all to keep reading. Also, what do you guys think of Moeru-shi? A free plushie of him will be given to him to the first 10 people who can tell me what 'Moeru-shi' means.

Well, that's about it, but here's a snippet of next chapter:

>

Kagome smirked to herself as the others bickered over their new 'enemy'. They were apprehensive, nervous, even afraid. But she herself could do nothing but hold in her laughter, laughter at their stupidity, and pushed down into her being. She licked her lips once more, tasteing to sweetness he left on her mouth.

' I don't know why Inuayasha bothered to show up.' Seh thought to herself, as she pictured the fire demon witht he glowing eyes smirking down at her.

' I really didn't need rescuing.'

>

Anyway, read and review, pretty please?

Maiden of Sin


	6. Sparks

Hey! So, I guess you guys like _Inferno_. I'm really happy. I can't believe no one has guessed what 'Moeru-shi' means. Here's a hint: It has to do with fire! So, I'll leave it for now.

Anywho, I'd like to give a special shout out to these reviewers:

demonprietess07: Really, it's hot? I'm sooo glad you like it! Here's that update you wanted!

Nomadgirl66: Hey, glad you like him! And yes, I'll agree Kikyo spying is low, but she it will come into play later, I promise!

underneath-this-darkness: Hey, it's okay to be crazy, almost all my friends are crazy! And so am I! Hope you prepare yourself, because this will get even more intense later on, I promise you!

Inuyasha's hun: It's okay, no one else seems to know either. Just go to the nearest Jap/Eng dictionary and you'll see. I'm lucky, 'cause I have my own right here at home! Don't give up!

Shadows stalk during the deep of night: I'm happy you like Kags' personality. When I started writing this, I had no idea how to write her. I just got inspired by the song "Everything Burns", by Ben Moody.

Inuyasha's Dark angel: I hope you keep reading, because I'm gonna throw in some twists and turns, and more allure!

Tenma JigokuSenyo: Thanks for the tip! I didn't even realize I had that on. Please, continue reading!

Mikoaya: Me too! But, since I can't, I'll just have to turn up the flames in my fic…in more ways than one……….

Ray Van Hakubi: Well, it's not exactly being wrenched back, (hint hint). Things are about to get, shall we say, _complicated_ for our dear Inuyasha (hehehe)

miroir: I totally estatic you approve! Here comes more!

Okay, now let's get on with this fic!

And I just realized, I forget the disclaimer for the last chapter, so this one is for both:

Disclaimer: I. Own. Nothing.

**Inferno **

_The more you fight, the brighter it burns._

Chapter 5: Sparks

She had lost track of Inuyasha quite some time ago. He had sped off ahead of them, running at a pace she didn't know he could achieve. Of course, when she remembered why they were running, Sango found it quite easy to explain Inuyasha's speeds.

The hanyou didn't fool Sango for a second. She saw the way he looked at Kagome when he thought no one was looking, the way his eyes softened when she smiled at him. Sango understood that the hanyou was falling for the mirai shoujou, even if he himself was unaware of it. Sango would shake her head and sigh. He really was a fool.

She was jogged from her thoughts as a sensation tingled through her.

" Now is certainly not the time, houshi-sama." She snarled, regognizing the feeling. Behind her, she felt Miroku stiffened, and then sigh in a disappointed manner. She had gotten so used to his constant groping, that she had aquired a sort of sixth sense as to when he would strike. It came in handy, especially in predicaments like this. His 'cursed' hand would only distract her from what she should be doing: Searching for any sign of Kagome or Inuyasha.

>

Inuyasha was many things. He was rude. He was insulting. He was mean, and assuming, and a bit of a two-timer. But above all else, he was jealous and over-protective.

Not even he himself could find an excuse for his fits of moodiness and jealousy when other males showed an interest in Kagome. He could find a way to explain why he reacted so violently when Kagome showed her favour to a man other than himself. Many called him over-protective. Many called him jealous. Many called him violent. But the simple truth was, he couldn't bare to see Kagome with another man. It was more than his hanyou heart could endure.

He couldn't understand why it felt like a knife was stabbed through his heart whenever Kagome smiled at another guy. Why he felt his soul go to pieces when she laughed at another man's joke. Why he felt the sudden desire to maim and rip and kill when some alien male touched her skin. It was simply a fact of life to him. Kagome needed on one else to smile at. Kagome needed no one else to touch her hand. Kagome needed no one else to look after her, care for her, lean forward and brush that pesky piece of hair behind her ear for her. She needed no one else but him.

That was the way Inuyasha saw it. That was the way it worked. There was no room in Kagome's life for someone else to make her smile and laugh and sing. She needed him to do that, and only him.

Inuyasha knew this to be true. He believed it with his heart and soul. So Kagome had been acting strange lately. It didn't mean that the laws of the universe had changed. It simply meant she needed closer watching, that was all. She needed no one else, but him.

Inuyasha was proud of that logic, and would defend it tot eh bitter end with his life. So we must excuse him now. For it was only natural that he react in a murdering rage, when he saw a man, a _demon_, reach out, and kiss Kagome's untainted mouth.

>

Her world faded to nothing under his hot, questioning lips. She shuddered in delight as his moist tongue forced open her already bruised lips. He molded his mouth to hers, claiming it as his, and his alone. As he entered her mouth, she was exposed to the sweet taste of burning wood anew. She swallowed a moan deep in her throat, almost afraid to encourage him. Him hands slid up and down her covered arms, and she could feel the sheer heat of his palms burn through the cloth and set her alight.

She couldn't think, or even begin to, her mind was void of any thoughts as Moeru-shi pressed her flush to his hardened body. Through her shirt, she could feel the contours of his chest roughly mashed to her own curves.

His tongue swept over her own, playfully batting at it. She could feel an alien liquid mix with her own inside her mouth, and she could not hold her mewl of delight in anymore.

" M-Moeru…Moeru…shi..kun."

She heard her own voice echo out, husky and pleading. In response, she felt his hand splay out upon the small of her back, forcing her to arch into him, and effectively tilting her head back for better access. He caught her lower lip between both of his, and grazed it gently with his teeth. She gasped.

" M-Moeru…shi…"

She was panting, she knew it. Her mind was a hazy mess of confused thoughts and bizarre feelings. Her body was responding to him in ways she had only ever respond to fire. She knew she was completely in his control, under his spell.

And she'd be damned if she ever wanted out.

>

Smirking to himself, Moeru-shi brought the girl closer. He felt the rounded swells of her breasts press hard to his toned chest, and grinned wickedly into the kiss. Her pleading tone, and sweet, hot responses were more than enough to have him continue his delightful torture of her plush lips, and virgin mouth. He could feel, by the way she twisted under his touches, that the hanyou must never have kissed her before. He almost snorted at the hnayou's stupidity. This girl would've gladly kissed him, with her sweet little mouth, but no, he turned to another. Moeru-shi couldn't help but delight in her moan as he forced her to arch to him. Curling his free hand in her hair, he marveled at the soft, silky quality of it. The black tresses slipped in and over his fingers like liquid ebony. He clench his fist within, gently tipping her back even more.

It was becoming very difficult to think, to formulate a thought. Her curvy body, her plush lip, and warm mouth and hushed moans were making it hard for him to even remember his own name. She made no physical movement to respond, but he felt, way deep down in her blood, the fires begin to burn.

As he stood there, making her feel as he knew she must never have felt before, he was unaware of the flames dancing closer and closer to their intertwined bodies. He didn't feel the collective heat dance around their lithe and entangled forms. Nor did he sense the sparks that flew from the hand of the girl he held close, into the writhing flames.

Without warning, the flames around them burst up, cocooning them in a blanket of heat. It danced hypnotically around the two fire lovers, swaying this way and that, twisting like a fevered column of heat. Neither felt it as they fell harder against each other. The fire brushed against their skin, not burning, but in a sweet, passionate manner. They were in their element, beyond all doubt.

It wasn't until the broken, angry cry of a man sounded through the space did they tear apart and notice the fires around them.

" KAGOME!"

>

Her eyes widened. She had been so intent on watching the scene between the two; she hadn't noticed Inuyasha's presence. She had been surprised, to say the least, at Kagome's responses to the demon's advances. Kikyo knew that, had it been any other male, Kagome would not have hesitated to lash out with every ounce of strength within her. So what made _him_ so different? What made the Moeru-shi so privileged as to be allowed to ravish Kagome's body as he saw fit?

Kikyo wasn't one to pry into her reincarnation's business. Kagome and herself were separate forms, two completely different human beings who walked the earth and lived of their own accord, doing as they saw fit. In truth, the only true connection the miko and the girl from the future shared was a soul. Even their appearances were different as night and day, the auras around them contributing to that. Kikyo's eyes were dark, her hair straight and long, while Kagome's eyes sparkled at every creature, her hair like liquid night down her back. The two were different sides of the same, spiritually powered coin. But even then, Kikyo liked to keep out of Kagome's business.

She had stumbled upon the two, not intending to stay and watch, captivated and apprehensive, as a forbidden dance was performed before her. There was something between the girl and the demon, sparks that seem to shoot out of their eyes toward one another. The aura of heat and passion and secrets invaded the general area, cocooning the two fire-lovers in a blanket. Kikyo could not fully understand what occurred between her reincarnation and the fire demon, Moeru-shi, but she, in all her great power, could not deny the possibility of a ripple in Fate. So many possible future danced out for Kagome, though many were already decided for her, then what was this man doing here? Was it possible, that his intrusion, his very presence in Kagome's life, this encounter, was something not even the kami had predicted? If so, then she must wait, and see this play out.

It was just too tantalizing of a mystery to pass up.

>

Kagome wrenched her mouth from Moeru-shi's, desperately praying that the man who had screamed was simply her imagination playing tricks on her. Untangling herself from the fire demon's inviting embrace, she glanced into his coal coloured eyes.

And froze.

The eyes that stared back at her were like nothing she had ever encountered in any previous situation. They bore into her very soul, viewed the essence that made her _her_. They invoked a long-forgotten feeling, way deep down inside her:

For the first time, in a long, long while, she wanted to throw herself into his arms, and cry.

Cry, like tomorrow would never come.

Cry, like it was her final chance for redemption.

Cry, like she would never breathe again.

The way he was looking at her, staring at her, made the feeling rise up in her chest. She felt the long distant sting of tears welling up in the corners of her brown eyes, and her breath rasping in her chest.

_Never let them see you cry._

She jerked back, away from his soulful look. Trembling, she quickly averted her eyes, lest he display his powers again. Shaking, she took steps back, stumbling from him. He had almost caused her to cry, almost caused her to break her most solemn oath. It terrified her, even more so than her slipping mask. To show him her fire was one thing. To reveal the broken, shattered little girl that still lived deep with in her heart was quite another. Not even she had know that the little girl still lived, not even she herself could've guess the weeping child still waited for sanctuary, somewhere in the bowls of her shattered heart. She had always thought that the day she let the fire in, it had burned away the child, sentencing her to an eternity of pain and tears. But somehow, this man, this demon who shared her love of the flickering flames had awakened something inside that not even she knew still existed.

Her innocence.

>

Inuyasha was paralyzed. Never, not in a hundred million years, had he ever thought he would come across a scene like this.

Kagome.

In the arms of a stranger.

Kissing passionately.

…

He could say it didn't sting, because it didn't.

It burned.

It felt as though someone had taken a dull, rusty knife, and slowly, ever so _slowly_, twisted said knife into his heart. Agony, pure, raw agony filled his senses. Someone had kissed Kagome. Someone had held Kagome. Some one had freakin'_ touched_ Kagome!

Every truth Inuyasha knew revolved around the fact that Kagome was his to protect, look after, and generally be with. Sure, he ran off the protect Kikyo, and left the poor girl defenseless, but that was why she had Sango there to protect her. But, when it came to romance, Kagome needed no one but him to admire, and laugh with, and smile at.

Seeing her in the arms of an alien male, mewling in hushed tones as he did God-only-knows-what to her, simply blew Inuyasha's logic to smithereens.

So, it can be understood why he was so upset. Why he felt the need to kill and maim and destroy the bastard who dared to even look at Kagome. It must be understood why he felt so betrayed, so angry, so ready to annihilate. And it must be understood, why he reached down, drew tetsusaiga, and charged, fully intending to kill the fire bastard who dare to kiss Kagome's virgin mouth.

" Stop it, Inuyasha."

>

She heard his scream. She would have heard it at a hundred miles off. When Inuyasha became upset, his angry could be heard for leagues and leagues around. In fact, Sango wouldn't be surprised if Koga heard the inu hanyou's wail. If Inuyasha's pain was good for nothing else, then at least she had a direction to go on.

Digging her heels into Kirara, Sango urged the twin tail to go faster. Kirara, also concerned for the future miko, sped up. Behind her, Sango heard Miroku give a yelp, and cling tighter to her waist. But she ignored him. Now was hardly the time to fantasize about Miroku. Now was the time to set her sights for the slightest sign of Kagome and Inuayasha. Judging by his scream, the two were together, and something had happened. By the agonized pitch in Inuyasha's voice, Sango could only assume the worst.

So focused was she on searching the ground below, she almost missed the curl of smoke rising up a short distance away.

" Sango, look over there!"

Miroku's voice broke through her thoughts, and she shifted her gaze to stare at the grey column that rose steadily from the ground. Tilting her head slightly, Sango caught sight of a red-clad figure, drawing a sword. Something exploded in her stomach.

" It's Inuyasha!" She cried in relief, and then frowned. " And he's drawn the Tetsusaiga."

Indicating to Kirara that she wished to go down there, Sango held on tight as the twin tailed fire neko banked sharply. As they descended from the sky, Sango saw Inuyasha charge at a figure dressed in black, surrounded by flames. Wondering where Kagome was, she almost fell off as a soft voice stop Inuyasha dead in his tracks.

" Stop it, Inuyasha."

A column of fire around the figure in black died down, revealing the lithe form of Kagome Higurashi, completely unharmed, if not slightly disheveled. Sango's heart gave a quick, little thud, and she practically leaped from Kirara when the fire neko touched down.

" Kagome!" She shouted in delight, sprinting towards Kagome's figure. So relieved was he that her friend was alright, the taijiya never noticed the flames that danced at the girl's feet. Never saw the gentle flicker of fire in her hand. Never comprehended that when Kagome stepped from the flames to embrace her, Kagome stepped _through_ the flames.

And her skin remained as flawless as ever.

But Sango, relieved to see the girl she considered her little sister unharmed, paid no mind to this fact.

Silly, little girl.

>

Sighing under his breath, and cursing himself for his own stupidity, Moeru-shi shook his head. He had been so absorbed in Kagome's sweet taste, and soft whispers that he had failed to sense the hanyou's approach until it was too late.

But in truth, that wasn't what clouded his mind.

The look within Kagome's eyes before she shakily turned from him was what bothered him.

For a single instant, she had looked so forlorn, so lost and terrified, it had shattered his heart. He had never seen anything look like that. No creature had ever looked up at him, so vulnerable, so broken. It was as if her very soul had been torn to shreds a very long time ago, but the white-hot pain still ached inside.

He himself had wanted to cry out for her.

He knew of her fire, yes. He knew, and understood, and even embraced her sweet love of the flickering flames. It was a common bond in between them. But this? This broken hearted girl, this soul falling into darkness, it was something he had never expected, something he had never encountered before.

He saw the tears well up in those almond shaped eyes, but the moment she realized, the instant she understood what she was about to to, she stepped back, terrified of her own tears. It was strange, almost surreal. He wanted to embrace her, tell her it was okay, and let her sob out the tears she had been holding in for so long. It confused him. She invoked feelings in him he hadn't known existed until now. And that thought scared him a little.

Time to make a memorable exit.

Forcing his face to take on its usual smirk, he called to the fires still burning around him. Ignoring the hanyou's shout, he felt the fires burn away at him, and his body vanish.

An instant later, he appeared by Kagome's side in a flash of flame.

The taijiya, too startled to be of any use, simply stood there, shocked as he leaned forward to stare into Kagome's eyes. This time she didn't turn away, but met his gaze head on, her chocolate orbs gleaming.

" Nice to meet you, little Kagome." He purred, urging a seductive edge into his voice. He saw her eyes blank out slightly in reaction to his voice. Leaning against her warm body, he let his breath tickle her skin, and his lips ghost over her ear.

" Thanks for the kiss."

And he was gone in a blaze of fire that just grazed her untainted skin. His last view of hr as the fires took him to a new destination, was her ebony hair whipping out around her, a gentle rosy blush upon her cheeks, and her eyes sparkling in delight.

" Ja matta ne." Her voice echoed.

>

She knew she would have to answer their questions eventually. But now, her state of bliss was too great, her mouth too sweet from his lips, her eyes too bright from hope. Her skin was tingling with an unfamiliar, but not unpleasant feeling. She wanted nothing more than to spin around, singing joyfully. But the fools, her _friends_, would question those actions, and she daren't arouse their suspicions.

Not yet, anyway.

So she allowed the gentle current of heat around her to lull her to sleep, allowed the heat her left on her limbs to spread through her body, allowed the hazy images her eyes gave to fade to black as she collapsed on the ground. From a great distance, she heard them call to her, but ignored it.

Tonight, she would dream of _him_.

>

" He's dangerous! Didn't you see that malevolent look in his eye!"

The enraged hanyou's voice filled the hut. It was night, a few hours since the inu-tachi's return. Inuyasha, the fastest of them all, had run to the fainting Kagome's side, catching her as she fell. Miroku, silent until this point, had stated that the whole affair had probably taken its toll on her, and what she needed was rest. In a split second decision, Inuyasha decided to forget any and all other concepts, and race with Kagome in his arms back Kaede's hut. The elder miko had made Kagome comfortably, saying that Miroku was right; the evetn must have worn her down. Making stew for then all, Kaede had retired to her bed, sleepy herself, with Shippou at her head. The poor kitsune had tried to remain awake, but soft slumber had claimed him quickly, his terror for Kagome all afternoon finally catching up to him. So the two humans and the hanyou remained, discussing the fiery young man they had met this afternoon.

" I saw no malevolent look." Miroku calmly stated. " All I saw was him speaking very intimately with Kagome."

Inuyasha bristled.

" See what I mean!" He roared. " She must've been under some kinda spell! Kagome would _never_ allow him to touch her, otherwise, let alone kiss her!"

" Be quiet!" Sango snapped as quietly as she could manage. " You'll wake everyone in the village with the racket your making. And I agree with Miroku, that demon didn't look so evil. He just seemed….I don't know…_attracted_ to Kagome for some reason. And Kagome seemed quite attracted to _him_."

Too late did Sango realize her mistake. The thunderclouds gathered around Inuyasha, who was looking more and more ready to kill the next thing that moved. His handsome face twisted with fury and hurt, his golden eyes flashing dangerously.

" What?" He hissed.

" She didn't panic when he came close to her." Sango explained in her most mollifying voice. " She sort of…_smiled_ at him, like she knew he wouldn't hurt he. And she blushed when he whispered something in her ear. She seemed almost happy when he came close to her."

Inuyasha's claws gave a slight twitch. Kagome shouldn't smile at anyone but himself. She shouldn't be happy around any other male but himself. The fact that Kagome had smiled and felt safe around a male that he wasn't familiar with, a male he didn't know was interested in someone else (such as Miroku), was enough to send him into a rage, send him off on a rampage to find that demon and drain him of all the blood in his body. He dug his claws into the hard floor, desperate to contain himself.

" Regardless of what we may think, we really know nothing about this demon." Miroku said wisely, trying to calm Inuyasha down. " We don't know if he is a friend or foe-"

" He's an enemy!" The hanyou insisted, but Miroku only sighed.

' We don't know that." He said in exasperation. " Our best course of action is to wait for Kagome to wake up, and tell us of her experience with him. We may be able to get a measure of his character from her account."

" Do whatever you want." Inuyasha huffed. " I know an enemy when I see one."

"You're impossible, Inuyasha…"

>

Kagome smirked to herself as the others bickered over their new 'enemy'. They were apprehensive, nervous, even afraid. But she herself could do nothing but hold in her laughter, laughter at their stupidity, and pushed down into her being. She licked her lips once more, tasting to sweetness he left on her mouth.

' I don't know why Inuayasha bothered to show up.' She thought to herself, as she pictured the fire demon with he glowing eyes smirking down at her.

' I really didn't need rescuing.'

>

And now I am complete.

So, what do you think? Hope you all like it. Dog-boy is getting a little obsessive, wouldn't you agree? Well, my dear Inuyasha, if you're upset now, just wait until you find out what happens later on. Hehe…

Anywho, I would like the usually 3-5 reviews before I update, okay? Also, you can flame me if you want. There's no real guarantee that I'll answer, but you can try nonetheless.

Quick thing: The name Moeru-shi, consists of two words, _Moeru_ and _shi._ Check each on an online dictionary. Of course, I expect most of you know what _shi_ means.

Until next time,

Maiden of Sin


	7. Fury's Fires

Well, I guess I should say I'm sorry. Here I go:

I'M SO SORRY, LEASE FORGIVE ME!

I meant to update, honest, but homework got plied on really heavy, and so I had to do that. I'm sorry, but school comes first for me. I'll try to make this chapter really long.

So, anywho, Merry Christmas! This is my gift to you!

Disclaimer: I don't even own this computer! But I do own some Inuyasha DVD's…does that count for something?

**Inferno**

_The more you fight it, the brighter it burns_.

Chapter 6: Fury's Fires

Blazing columns of lethal heat danced around her, twisting in their sensual way to her. They slid over her pale skin like their mortal enemy, water, and doused her clothing in their red/orange tendrils. The meager cloth was brunt to ashes, leaving no scrap to cover her curvious body. She smirked to herself, here, in her fiery palace, where no one would see, nor hold power enough to interfere.

_It was so perfect, her palace. In this reflection of her dark desires, where her will alone governed the very reality of this world. Laughing cruelly, in a tone that none of the ones she had fooled ever knew existed, she spun faster. Faster and faster and faster…_

_Her hair whipped out around her, black and nearly liquid. The heat tangoed around her unclothed body, as her skin brushed against it sweetly. No burn mark marred her creamy skin, no painful hiss escaped her plush lips. The fire's power did nothing to her, save bring her to life in a passionate stir of desire she barely dared to think about._

_Here, here in this place, this dream, she dared to breathe. She dared to feel, to think, to dance. This was her domain, her place, and no one, NO ONE could trespass here._

" _Just keep at it, babe. You're making it incredibly hard to keep my hands off you."_

_Well, no one but him, that is._

>

He had run, run as fast as his long legs would allow him. The hanyou, foolish and stupid though he may be, was a rather frightening opponent, when faced with the scene he had witnessed today. That sword alone was enough to send him into a nervous state. It had been said that the sword could slay one hundred demons in one swoop. And Moeru-shi wasn't about to stay and find out. Licking his lips to moisten them, he paused, and unfamiliar and very sweet taste upon them. In a rush of painful arousal and dizzying lust he remembered exactly where he had come to acquire this taste.

Kagome.

Sweet Kagome.

Perfect, innocent, absolutely delicious Kagome.

Who had ever last one of them fooled.

Smirking to himself, he stretched his now sore limbs and gazed out at the fading sunlight. The dusky hues of purple and dark oinks were beginning to settle in, meaning night was fast approaching. No creature would mind if he chose to find a place to sleep for the night. Glancing himself, in the sun's dying rays, he spotted a large hole in the side of the moutain's face. Not exactly comfortable, but bearable in the least. Moeru-shi was no stranger to 'roughing it'. He could survive one more night in the mountain. Besides…

Mountain air seemed to help him slide into her feverish dreams.

>

Inuyasha was nervous.

He was more than nervous.

He was downright…what was the phrase Kagome had used again?

Oh yes.

He was down right freaked out.

It had been awhile, quite awhile, since he had lost control like that. Not as in letting his demonic self take over his body, but as in letting his demonic self take over his mind.

Inuyasha was born a halfing. As such, he was treated like filth, like scum, for a factor had absolutely no control over. He was, beyond anything else, a jaded man. He longed for companionship, and thought he had found it in the prietess who guarded over the sacred jewel. When that too, had ended in heartbreak, he had chosen never to care again, never to feel, never to become emotionally involved with anyone ever again. Seeingas how he was asleep and pinned to a tree, it was an easy vow to keep.

Then came Kagome. Then came sweet, silly, helpless little Kagome who smiled at his anger, laughed at his threats, and bit by bit, pieced his heart back together.

His vow shattered the instant he first met those big, brown, beautiful eyes.

Kagome was,…well, there was no other way to put it.

She was weird.

She dressed differently.

She was incredibly headstrong.

She didn't care about his heritage.

She cared about _him_.

It threw him for a loop. Women didn't like him. Demonic or mortal, they all shunned and avoided him as though he were some kind of deadly disease. So when Kagome smiled at his bright golden eyes, held his clawed hands, and petted his dog ears, he was floored by her fearlessness, and more so, her ability to see _him_ and not just a halfbreed.

It was probably around there when the demon in him started to wake up.

Demons are strange creatures. Though many things were known about them(in his age),very little was known about their mating habits. Some said they mated for life. Others said they took a different mate with each heat. If truth be told, Inuyasha himself didn't know. He supposed it depended on the demon. And he was quite shocked when a sly, dark, and even somewhat perverted little voice had popped up in his head one day.

And decided to tell him all the little bursts of lust he was feeling for Kagome, when he didn't know they existed.

His demon chose Kagome.

It bloody damn well chose Kagome!

And once his demon chose its mate, it was hard, _very_ hard, to try to get it to change its mind.

He had tried everything.

He pointed out how weak she was.

The demon in him said that that made it all the more important for him to protect her, and thereby look good in e her eyes, and receive praise.

He said she was slow.

The demon pointed out how good it felt to have her on his back. And of course how he should speed up more so she would tighten her grip.

He verbally tore apart her dress code, saying it was sluttish and ugly.

The demon claimed he would care if she wore nothing at all, if it meant he would be the only one to see her.

At that point, Inuyasha had gone completely red, and shut the little voice out for a good few weeks, during which he made a point to treat Kagome worse, simply to prove that she would make a hideous mate.

It wasn't until the sound effects of her tainted dream reached him that night that the little voice decided that they were long over due for a chat.

It had launched into a long winded explanation of why Kagome would be a perfect mate, why he was such a fool, and hwy he should be extremely upset if her dreams were not of him down there. And Inuyasha, though a fool, had listened with growing anger and fear. Because the voice had said one thing that seemed to stick out above all else, that seemed to mean more than anything else.

If Kagome was dreaming of someone else, he may just loose her.

And Inuyasha could not, would not, be able to bear that.

_ >_

_Smirking, she twisted even more, enjoying the feeling of forced restraint he gave off. It was so much fun to toy with hearts and hormones of men. She spun again, letting her dark hair coil up in her long, slender fingers. Her body, unhindered by cloth, twirled gracefully at her movements, until she came to a stop before a column of flames._

" _Is that really necessary?" She purred seductively, brushing a lock of black hair behind her ear._

" _I should think so." He said in a tone of mock anger. " This distorts my vision. So be grateful, otherwise I'd have seen you with nothing on, young lady!"_

" _I'm seventeen." She replied throatily, enjoying this easy banter._

" _Young, compare to me."_

" _Well then, how old are you?"_

" _Can't tell you everything up front, now can I ? Takes away from my appeal."_

_She smirked sexily and waltzed up to the fiery tower. She pressed her body to it, just feeling the contours of his own body through the fires. She heard his sharp intake of breath, and forced back a nervous tremor._

" _I'm going to find you appealing no matter what." She breathed to where she knew his face to be._

" _Why?" He voice was barely a whisper, yet lacking none of its previous seductive quality. She felt her knees go weak._

" _Because." She brushed a hand across the flames, and as they parted for her, she saw his burning coal eyes._

"_You see me."_

>

Her eyes flew open.

No burning palace.

No fiery columns.

No Moeru-shi.

She was in the back room of Kaede's hut, a blanket thrown cautiously over her body, a pillow, her pwn she believed, supporting her raven shaded head.

Signing in disappointment, she slowly began to stretch her now sore and aching muscles, awakening them from sleep. Her black hair, now mussed from her fitful sleeps, tumbled down in clumbs over her back. The school shirt, now dirtied from the previous day, rose up around her stomach to reveal flawless creamy skin, which she noticed almost immediately.

After all, hadn't that skin touched fire only the day before?

Frozen in mid-stretch, she gapped down at the skin, unmarred and perfect, despite the fact that she had felt the fire's heat on it.

With trembling fingers, she brush the skin, searching. Not even Inuyasha, with all his demonic powers, could've healed that fast. And she was a mere mortal, doomed to heal slowly. So how was it that the fire did no harm to her?

Her thoughts were rudely shoved aside when a gruff voice came from the doorway.

" Finally decided to get up? Feh, wench, you have a lot of questions to answer."

Something in his tone, something about he way he talked to her, made her tense. There was a blatant rudeness in the way he addressed her, spoke to her, and acknowledged her. She knew he did not love. She knew she was barely even worth anything to him. She knew there were times when he _hated_ her. But she refused, flat out refused, to take this from him. Not after her wonderful experience yesterday.

" Well that's your problem, isn't it?" Her voice came out colder than she had meant it to, but she was pleased with how it sounded.

" Excuse me?" His voice had risen up in surprise, and she felt a jolt of vindictive pleasure go through her as she realized she had shocked him with her aloofness.

' Get ready Dog-boy. You ain't seen nothing yet.'

She was really tired today. She couldn't bring herself to place her mask completely on her face. The effort was just too much for her. So why not let him glimpse at her once more? Why not let the fool see her for her, just once more? It might be fun. Because last time, she let go of her love for him. Last time, she had been able to make him leave her alone. Last time, she had let her fire out, if only a littler bit, and it had brought Moeru-shi to her. So why not?

" You heard, Inu-boy. Ask all you want, I'm keeping my mouth shut." She was upright now, and grateful. Whenever her mask tumbled off, it was always so much fun to let her body into the fire as well. It twisted itself more so, making her curves more obvious. Her entire figure took on a seductive pose without even meaning to, and it helped her in her endeavor. She felt more confident, more powerful and of course…

Far more fiery.

She leaned against the wall, her arms crossed just below her chest, a strand or two of her somewhat matted hair curling over her shoulder, and one hip curving outwards in an arc, while the other rested against the wall. Her eyes burned defiantly, smoldering orbs of liquid brown that bore into the boy before her. Her face was still flushed pink from her sleep fantasy. If the truth were to be told, she knew she looked good.

And was intending to use it to its very fullest potential.

Smirking haughtily at the stunned half demon, she tilted her head to side in a mock display of innocence, and waited.

It was Inuyasha's move, after all

>

" That's your problem, isn't it?"

He froze, staring at her.

Th-this was…Kagome, ne?

Sweet, kind, laughing Kagome?

Kagome who never said anything cruel if she could help it?

Yeah, yeah of course it was.

So why was he acting like this?

He had been dozing lightly in the other room, caught up in dreams that now floated through his memory, as sharded and broken as the Shikon no Tama, when he had heard the sounds of the girl awakening. Snorting to himself at her laziness, he waited a few minutes until decided he had been polite enough, and barged in on her. She was tenderly rubbing her stomach when he walked in, and looking at it in a confused sort of way. He had been afraid for a moment that she had been hurt at some point yesterday. As he scanned through his memories to see if he could recall her being hurt, the image of the demon kissing her blazed into full view, and his anger returned hastily. He had growled out his usual harsh greeting, and demanded her answers to the questions that buzzed around in his mind.

And her only response was impudence.

His golden eyes widened at her cool tone and icy voice. Since had Kagome been like this? He was about to write it off as time of the month and get anger at her, but his mouth was ahead of his brain.

" Excuse me?" He said in disbelief.

She rose to her feet, not bothering about her slightly disheveled appearance. He noticed her hair was out of place, and her shirt was ruffled and dirty. But when she adopted the un-Kagome-like pose, all other thoughts flew from his mind.

' What the Hell is she doing!' his mind ranted. This wasn't at all what Kagome should do. She should sigh, and agree with him. Then they'd go outside, and talk about the day before, where she would tell him about how cruel and ruthless that demon guy was to her, and how she needed him to comfort her.

She most certainly wasn't supposed to start acting like a brat, nor was she supposed to be looking at him like that, where he couldn't choose between being very afraid or very turned on.

He settled for being wary of this Kagome, trying to force down the thoughts of how very ravishable she looked right now. This was a Kagome he had no experience with what so ever, and so was at a loss as to how to handle her. She seemed to find his lack of action amusing, not really in a hurry for this argument to go anywhere. She was leaning causally on the wall, her eyes drilling into his, her posture practically screaming for him to jump her, and her lips-when had they become so plush ?- tilted upwards in a smirk.

Never, in the two years he had known Kagome, had she ever acted like this.

So, he did what he always did when presented with a situation he didn't know how to handle:

Molded his confusion into anger and charged in recklessly.

" Listen wench, you're gonna answer my questions, do you hear me!" He snarled, his fury increasing as her smirk did.

" Oh, I hear you. Doesn't mean I'll listen, but I can hear ya." Again, that incredibly arousing impudent tone that for reason unknown to him, worked wonderfully on her voice.

" What the Hell is wrong with you today!"

" Nothing, 'cept the the fact that you decided to go all macho on me."

She had closed those smoldering eyes, thank God, but was shrugging her shoulders and throwing out insults to him as if she did this everyday, which he knew she didn't.

" Escuse m-"

" Is that all you can come up with, because I'm getting kinda bored."

" Listen here, you wench! Quit acting like this, it isn't like you!"

And he knew he had touched a nerve.

Her chocolate eyes snapped open, blazing with a kind of fiery anger he had only ever seen in Kikyo's orbs. Her entire body tense, rigid with something akin to fury. She looked up into his eyes, and he could practically feel the waves of raw anger being flung from her body and crashing into his.

She straightened herself from the wall, her body all hard lines and sharp angles. He knew now to be afraid, to be very afraid of the fires that were dancing in her eyes, because this Kagome was even scarier than the one he had just encountered. This Kagome looked like she wasn't afraid to hurt him, and hurt him bad.

" Don't tell me what I am and am not like." Her voice was icy and bitter, colder than a winter morning. It shot through him like a harsh wind, and froze the blood in his veins. She strode past him, making her way out.

" You know nothing about me."

And then she was gone, out of the hut, presumably heading home for a bath. But her cold words still hung in the air, her final whisper echoing around in his mind.

" _Nothing_."

>

From his castle hidden in a hazy, poisonous mist, a dark creature watched the girl walk from the hut, her murderous aura dancing around, from a mirror held in the pale hands of an albino child. He chuckled as he watched the girl lash out in a deadly way, and smirked at her from his watching postion. This plan was turning out to be much more fun then he had originally thought. Nodding to the girl, her mirror went blank and she glided off, fading into the shadows, her vacant expression and emotionless onyx eyes the last piece of her he saw.

Smirking at his own brilliance, Naraku turned to look out the window of his room. One of his Saimiyoushou flew before him, buzzing its message to its master.

" Excellent." The wicked hanyou nodded. " Fetch him for me."

The bee like insect flew from his presence, hurrying along with its task. Naraku glanced outside once more, envisioning the futuristic miko.

" Just keep the mask falling, my sweet little girl. You'll play your part ot your greatest ability, I'm sure." His voice was cold, yet laced with a dark lust and wicked desires.

" Fire attracts fire, after all."

>

'Kay guys, there you go! My Christmas present for you all! I may even do a second one today, after I creatively recharge. I really hope you enjoy this story, because I am having a fun time writing it, believe it or not! Well, hopefully I'll do another chapter today, but if not, I promise to update really soon!

Maiden of Sin


	8. Burning Souls

Hey there, told you I'd update soon! And here I am! I hope everyone had a great Christmas! Okay, I have a question for you guys: Do you want me to put a lemon in here, or not? I don't really know, and it would be my first one, but I'm really unsure. I just want your opinion. I might not, but if enough of you say you want one, I just might put it in. Either that, or a lot more lime. Tell me what you think, okay?

Disclaimer: I own Moeru-shi, and this plot, but nothing else.

****

**Inferno **

_The more you fight it, the brighter it burns._

Chapter 7: Burning Souls

The shifting eyes of countless demons followed her form as she crept, noiselessly, through the castle. Her snow-white hair hung limply around her shoulders, unmoving though it should have swayed with each step she took. Her pale, lifeless skin glowed in comparison to the dank and shadowed walls of the castle she called home. Though her vacant eyes refused to acknowledge their presence, she felt the auras of the demons shift and twist around, in ways her non-existent aura could not.

Kanna had been created, virtually, from nothing. She emitted no scent, had no aura, and left not even a footprint in the sand. She did, in fact, not exist. She was a thing of whiteness, a creature woven of empty dreams, vacant hopes, and lifeless lives. She had no true thoughts, had no opinion, and could no more smile than fly.

And it in that fact her salvation lay.

When Naraku had created her, instead of stealing the beating heart from her body, and using it to hold her captive, he allowed her a great honour. He allowed her to maintain the heart that pumped string within her chest to remain inside her, for he felt no threat from this soul-sucking demon. He had given her life; he named her Kanna, and had gifted her with the mirror she now held clutched in her unnaturally white hands. She was, of course, no threat to him. She couldn't leave. She was created a perfect tool, for she had no thoughts of her own. She _couldn't_ betray him.

How very foolish the halfbreed was indeed.

>

" She _left_?"

Inuyasha winced and pressed his dog-ears flat to his skull. Sango's infuriated yell echoed through the small hut, resounding off the uncovered walls. He slowly opened one golden eye to look at the enraged taijiya, and mentally shuddered.

The young woman was ablaze with anger, clutching her deadly weapon, the Hiraikotsu, close to her body, preparing to throw it at anytime.

At Inuyasha of course.

Cursing mentally once more, Inuyasha allowed Sango to verbally tear him to shreds as he allowed himself to sink deeper into the self-pity and self doubt that were beginning to take root.

What was wrong with Kagome?

She had never acted like that at any previous time. Yes, they had argued. Yes, she had lashed out at him. But never like that. Never with such a cool, and cocky air as she had back in the hut, her eyes smoldering and his hormones in overdrive. She had never come back at him with such ease, never talked some calmly before during a fight. When he and Kagome fought, the girl was always angry and full of passion and screaming. But before? It was as if he was arguing with someone who didn't care what he said, didn't care what he said, and most importantly, didn't care about him.

It rocked him to the core.

Though he would never admit it out loud, he enjoyed Kagome's undivided attentions, liked how she fussed over him, and adored her unending affections towards him. So why, _why_, was she acting like this? Not only as a cocky, arrogant woman, but…

" _Don't tell me what I am and am not like."_

That voice, it was so cold. It was like ice on a lake in mid winter. It was like the kiss of cool steel on his throat. It was like a rusty knife through his heart.

" _You know nothing about me."_

She was Kagome, what more was there to know ? She laughed a lot. She smiled even more. She worried constantly about 'school' and something she called a 'GPA'. She didn't like being told she was stupid; she loved a strange brown substance called chocolate. Shippo was practically her adopted son, and she thought of Sango as a sister. She tried to put Sango and Miroku together as often as possible, as alone as possible, continually insisting they were made for one another. She cried easy, and forgave even easier. She hated blood and violence, and believed family was very important. She wanted to right all the wrongs in the world, and loved all living things. She wouldn't hurt anyone unless absolutely necessary, and above all else, she was innocent, with no ulterior motives, no deep dark secrets, and, beyond a shadow of a doubt, nothing to hide from him or anyone.

But not matter how much he reassured himself that all this was true, her final word could not help but ring through his mind, and he was powerless to stop it.

" _Nothing."_

>

Sango was not a happy woman right now.

Not only had she caught the moron of a monk at it again, but she came back to discover that Inuyasha had upset Kagome once more, resulting in her heading for home, away from them all.

It took every ounce of self-restraint she possessed not to pound the idiotic halfling into the ground with her Hiraikotsu, then dig him out, hog-tie him, and throw him in the nearest lake.

She was thoroughly pissed. And the monk was _not_ helping!

" Now is hardly a time I would deem appropriate, Houshi-sama!" She snarled, the violent response to his groping evident in her tone. Sensing danger, the less-than-pure monk wisely took a rather large step away from her, placing himself at an acceptable distance if the need arose for him to run like Hell.

Turning away from the lecher, knowing he was a safe distance away from her body, she whipped around to face the dog-eared hanyou once more.

" Explain. Now." Her voice came through her gritted teeth, and she was pleased to see him gulp visibly.

" It's not my fault!" He shouted defensively, but back down instantly when she let out a rather demon-like growl.

" It's always your fault." Her voice had gone dangerously low.

" Well, this time it wasn't! I just told her she was going to answer my questions and-"

Sango's eyes widened in disbelief.

" You WHAT?" She shrieked, yanking the giant boomerang into a throwing position. From behind her, she heard Shippo give a distinct 'Meep!'.

" You insensitive, tactless, unfeeling idiot!" She shouted at the now confuse, frightened and frozen hanyou. " Did you even consider for a second what she was feeling!"

He made to open his mouth, but Sango, quite intimidating in her rage, cut him off.

" _No_! Of course you didn't! You're _Inuyasha_! The moron who can manage to get his foot stuck in his mouth forty-six times before nine o'clock in the morning on a good day!"

" Hey, I resent th'-"

" Did I, at any point in this conversation, give you the right to start talking?" She hissed in a dangerous tone. Inuyasha, reading the warning signs, immediately shut up.

" I didn't think so." She seethed before continuing. " Like I said, you're Inuyasha! So course you never gave any thought to what _Kagome_ might be feeling!"

Inuyasha, however, seemed rather keen to defend himself. Or he may have had a death wish, the tow can be difficult to distinguish between sometimes.

" What are you talking about!" The hanyou's voice took on a desperately confused tone as he looked into Sango's enraged eyes.

" Think, you moron! She's just woken up after a trying experience from the day before, involving a long distance run at speeds we didn't know she could achieve, witnessing the remnants of a burned down village, and being molested and fondled by a strange, albeit attractive, demon who happened to be the culprit of the fire! Did you ever consider that maybe she was a little confused and a little lost! Huh! That maybe she wanted to hear that you were glad she was okay, instead of the beginnings of an interrogation! _No_! Of course not! You're too busy nursing your own bruised ego to recognize that she needed a friend, not an over protective, over aggressive git!"

Panting and puffing for breath from her out burst, Sango watched, with a jolt of vindictive pleasure, the colour drain from Inuyasha's face. She had been waiting two years to finally let the idiot have it, and from the look on his face, it had been worth the wait. Sango was tired of sitting around, and watching the halfling hurt the girl she considered her little sister. Inuyasha had caused Kagome too many tears, too much heartache, and too many sleepless nights for Sango to forgive and forget. She had been looking forward to throwing and rubbing it in the hanyou's face for so long, that she couldn't help but feel better at the look in his eyes that was something akin to horror and shame. She knew she would feel guilty about causing her friend grief later on that day, but for now, she would enjoy his discomfort. And he should be grateful. She'd left out what would probably be the most shattering thing that could ever happen to the hanyou:

The look oflongingthat was in Kagome's eyes when the demon appeared before her.

>

Miroku watch, an eyebrow raised, as Sango verbally ripped Inuyasha limb from limb. It was probably the most entertaining thing he'd seen in awhile, and would see for quite sometime. Though he pitied the half demon for bringing about Sango's wrath, the monk could not help but notice the pretty flush that painted her cheeks from the yelling, the heaving of her well endowed chest, the breath-taking sight of her bright, shining, enraged eyes.

Miroku was not a man of morals. He groped any woman he could find, and asked every attractive one to bare his children. Though the two females of his group found it disgusting and very irresponsible of him, he knew his options were limited.

Since birth the weight of Naraku's curse had weighed heavily upon his head. Though not yet a part of his body, he watched his father struggle day after day with the hole in his hand. The final straw had come the day the Wind Tunnel, the void within his father's hand, had become too great. He had watched, helpless to do anything else, as the curse Naraku had place upon his family robbed him of his father.

The nest few hours proved to be painful ones. Upon his father's passing, the void had then been passed on to him. He had lain, twisting and turning, in his bed, clutching his hand and crying out in agony as the void ripped itself into his palm. At last, after hours of hardship, the pain proved too great, and the world around him faded to black.

When he awoke, days later he learned, Mushin had been hovering over him, praying for his health. When he had eaten and bathed, he had begged the monk for advice. And Mushin, unable to say anything else, had told him the whole story.

As the chilling events unfolded for the child, Miroku had made a vow to himself. He would hunt down and slay the demon would had done this, Naraku. But just in case his attempt failed, he'd have a strong heir who would be ready to take his place in the hunt.

And so began the infamous questioning.

It wasn't that it was the sort of relationship he wanted, but it was the only option he really had. He couldn't settle down with someone, not until the Wind Tunnel was destroyed. And he had no certainties that it would even _be_ destroyed in his lifetime, so he simply _had_ to have a son who could carry on in his place if he failed. It the fool proof plan he devised the moment he decided to set out after Naraku.

He just hadn't counted on Sango.

She was unlike any other woman he had ever met. They twittered and scattered at the slightest hint of danger. She stood bravely facing it. They laughed and shot him suggestive looks. She growled at his advances and put him in his place. They attempted to catch his eye. She never looked at him in any other way than a traveling companion. She was so different from any of the women he could have had that he found himself intrigued with her. She was smart. She had guts. She was _undeniably_ beautiful.

And completely unintenially, Miroku fell, and fell hard.

He didn't know exactly when it began, where it started. All he knew was one morning he awoke, and found himself unable to picture his life without Sango in it. True, he found it hard to picture a life without all his friends in it, but when he tried to imagine a life where there was no Sango, he found himself chilled to the bone, unable to breath or think until he caught sight of her still slumbering form and was able to reassure himself that she was still there, she hadn't left him. It rocked him to the core that one woman could mean so much to him, be so significant in his life. He had never worried if a woman cared for him, enjoyed his company. There were, cruel as it may sound, merely a way from him to continue his bloodline, and produce heirs to follow in his path.

But when it came to Sango…

He wanted her to like him. He wanted her to enjoy his company. He wanted her to care about him, laugh with him, and allow him into her world. He wanted her to trust him with her secrets, let him see the tears that stained her face late at night. He wanted her to tell him when he wasn't eating enough, when he wasn't sleeping enough. He wanted her to be jealous when he looked at other women. He wanted her to look at him, and only him. He wanted her to smile at him, and reach over to hold his hand.

He wanted Sango to love him.

>

From high above them, surprised by their lack of attention, a woman sat observing the trio below from her perch upon an over sized feather. Though she knew the kit was there among them, she hardly counted him as anything. He would be of little use to her plot for freedom.

Kagura, the self-proclaimed 'Wind Sorceress' was not what could be called kind. She was as ruthless as she was beautiful, and had a rather sadistic side to her that often came out in her battles. Her weapon of choice was a white fan, with a single red stripe arching across it. With it she had the winds themselves at her beck and call, for her to use them as she saw fit. She often referred to herself as 'the wind itself', for she shared a bond with her element that could not be broken, nor understood.

Unlike her sister, Kanna, Kagura was not so well trusted by her master and creator, Naraku. Kagura, formed of Naraku himself and the wind, had her own thoughts, her own opinions, and most dangerous of all, her own wishes. Foreseeing this threat, Naraku had ensured that Kagura would, when matures properly, be unable to defy him.

He had removed her heart from her chest.

Even now, as she floated above the enemies of her master, she could hear the steady beat of her heart in her ears, but were she to place her hand to her left breast, she would feel nothing. No steady thump, no gentle beat, just a hollow and deceiving thud echoing in her ears, taunting her.

Because Naraku held her heart, he held her life within his hands. Were he to crush her heart, their would be several moments of nearly unbearable pain, before she herself would cease to be. If she wished to continue on living in this world, then she must obey every order Naraku gave to her. A task that made her feel sick.

She despised her creator. He was filthy, sending others to do the dirty work while he sat I his castle, scheming up plans to ruin and destroy the lives of others. He called himself a strategist. She called him a coward. Though no one but herself knew it, if she had been given a choice as to which side to fight on, she would have stood behind Inuyasha and his friends without a second thought.

It wasn't that she was incredibly righteous, or had a great sense of morals. It wasn't even that she wanted to avenge someone that Naraku had hurt. It was simply that she shared a common feeling with the group below her.

She hated Naraku.

And for that reason alone, she would've joined up with the group that argued below her.

However, until such time as she could claim her heart as her own again, she would be forced to fight against these people who, really, were quite decent in her opinion.

Forcing back a chuckle as the taijiya let Inuyasha have it, Kagura scanned the surrounding area from her feather for the last member of the group. The miko, Kagome.

The girl, usually present at Inuyasha's side, was nowhere to be seen. Figuring the girl had run away to escape Inuyasha -really, Kagura couldn't blame her- she didn't notice the bee like demon buzzing towards her until it landed upon her shoulder.

" Yes?" She drawled in a bored voice. The saimiyoushou let out a series of sharp buzzes that, to anyone else, would have been incomprehensible. But Kagura, raised in a rapid childhood around these creatures, understood the insects droning immediately.

"Now?" She sighed in exasperation. The insect let out a sharp, reprimanding buzz, before flying off in the direction it had come, obviously returning to its master now that its job was complete.

Sighing once more, and muttering darkly under her breath about cowardly halfbreeds who couldn't manage to do their own dirty work, she threw one last, almost longing look down at the group who wear her sworn enemies. She then turned her feather against the wind, facing the high rising mountains that were, before, to her back.

" Time to meet my dear little brother."

>

Still burning with an indescribable urge to burn the hut, with Inuyasha screaming within of course, Kagome emerged from the well house, her expression dark, her aura foreboding, and her eyes dangerously blank. She stalked across the walkway to her house, hissing all of the profanities she knew beneath her breath. She twisted the knob upon the door as she arrived before it, and threw the piece of wood that allowed her entrance and exit form her living space open.

Growling even more, she trudged in, slamming the door forcefully shut. The resounding 'BAM!' that echoed through the front hall helped to ease the slight tension that had built up upon her shoulders. Breathing deeply, and praying that she was alone in the house, she kicked her shoes off, plastered a convincing smile on her face, and strode into the kitchen, to see if her mother was around.

As she entered the cooking area, she became acutely aware of the emptiness of the house. There were no shouts of the history of the shrine in an aged voice, no sound of a soccer ball being repetitively kicked against the wall, no slight humming accompanied by the clang of pots and pans. The house felt, rather than looked, empty.

Perhaps she was in luck after all.

She glanced around the kitchen, searching for some clue as to the whereabouts of her family. She eventually came across it, in the form of a note on the fridge, in her mother's neat and tidy handwriting.

_Kagome Sweetheart,_

_I don't know when you'll get back, so I'm writing this just in case it's before we return. You great aunt's husband called. You remember, Misari-obaasan. She broke her leg walking down the apartment stairs, and had to be taken to the hospital. Souta is staying over at a friend's house, and your grandfather and I should be back by tomorrow. There's money on the table for you to order some pizza. Call the hospital if anything comes up, and say hi to Inuyasha for me._

_Love, _

_Mama._

Smirking at her luck, Kagome sauntered out of the kitchen, heading for the bathroom on the second level. If she was to enjoy this night of freedom, she wanted to be clean. The plans she had involved her hair in a sleek ponytail, not dirty clumps.

As she walked past her room, she paused. Why not lay out her clothes first? It may take awhile to decide, and that would just take up valuable time. Besides, it was far too earlier in the evening now for anyone to be out where she wanted to go. If she decided now what she would where, then she could laze around in the bathtub for a while, get changed, and then go have her kind of fun.

Satisfied with her decision, Kagome spun to imaginary music into her room, threw open her closet, sauntered to the back where she kept the clothes her mother didn't know she had and would never approve of, and proceeded to pick what to go dancing in.

>

And now we're done!

So what do you guys think? I promise to elaborate on the SanMir in the next chapter! And, we get to have Kagome be her pyromaniac self at a night club, out dancing! Who knows what could happen! Oh wait, I'm writing this, I can! But I ain't telling! Well, maybe, since you guys have been so supportive so far, I can give you a taste of the next chapter:

The neon lights flashed wildly overhead, bathing the writhing crowd in splashes of orange and green and blue. Bodies twisted erratically to the pounding beat of an up-tempo song. The speakers blared louder, sending thundering pulses through the floor and underneath the feet of the dancers. The scent of perfume and body glitter and sweat wafted up to rafters up, stinging the nostrils of the participants on the higher levels. The hot bodies pressed together, flesh on unfamiliar flesh, warm puffs of breath across unknown faces. The dancers below swayed back and forth under the neon's eye, slaves to the D.J.'s will. The door opened slightly as a new body joins the throng, allowing a swift breeze of cooling air to slither around the room, only to be quickly swallowed by the heat emitting off the twisting masses of flesh.

The new arrival slid off her slim leather coat, tossing it into the booth she claimed as hers. She turned to the swaying bodies, an undeniable excitement lighting up her slightly tanned and flushed face. She swung her hips in a seductive fashion as she sauntered over to the dance floor, knowing of the many lustful eyes that followed her movements. She threw herself into the throng, instantly caught up in the thundering pulse of the dance floor. Her body heated up quickly in the midst of so many others, and she relished in the feeling of the sweat sliding down her body in droplets, the rough texture of a stranger's skin next to hers, and tingling sensation she got as an unknown person breathed hot puffs of breath on the skin of her neck as they passed by her. She twisted her body in rhythm to the song, her entire being in motion for this one, perfect second. She allowed her hands to reach slowly for the ceiling, entangling her recently washed hair in the processed. She grinned, almost psychotically, in the bask of the neon glow, as her head tilted upwards in a gesture of pure, simple relief.

As she swayed there, in time to the music, she failed to notice the body working its way through the crowd to her. As the song slowly winded down, she opened her eyes to see a girl her age with blue and silver streaked hair. The girl grinned happily up at her as she reached her, and threw an arm causally around her shoulders.

" Good to see you again, Kagome."

Well, there you go. And I'm sorry if there are any spelling errors, my compy's been really weird on me about that lately. Doesn't pick up the right words. It'll snap out of it, I'm sure, but until then, you'll just have to put up with it, sorry. I really hope none of you mind. Well, R&R, please.

Maiden of Sin


	9. Playing with Fire

Okay, I know you guys probably hate me, and I am totally okay with that. You can hate me, just please for the love of all things anime, don't abandon me! My school is semestered, and over Feburary, I've had to get used to four new classes, four new teachers, and four new sets of classmates, as well as homework. So, I'm on my knees begging all of you wonderful, kind people for forgiveness, and giving you all the creative energy I can muster for the following chapter.

****

****

**Inferno **

_The more you fight it, the brighter it burns._

Chapter 8: Playing with Fire

She had left. That was good. The enrage taijiya had left, leaving the flabbergasted and upset hanyou to his thoughts. Though slightly miffed that Sango had taken out her obviously misplaced aggressions on him, Inuyasha couldn't help but feel a, lump beginning to form in his throat as her words drifted back to him.

" _Did you even consider for a second what she was feeling!"_

The phrase she had screamed at him, while in the midst of her furious fit, struck him hard in his chest. The dull, aching 'thunk' his heart made as he mulled over Sango's words only intensified the build up in his throat, a build he believed might be eased if he could see Kagome smiling at him again.

No, he had given no thought to her feelings. He hadn't even let eth thought cross his mind. His actions were what he used to hide the rough, hard jealousy that was eating away at him. He had intended to be kinder, gentler, to not simply bark out orders to her. But as he had caught sight of her –looking desperately alluring from her sleep- the image of her in that…that…that _bastard's_ arms was burned into his vision. The sight of her, her lips crushed against an unknown man's. Her form caught up in his arms, it was more than he could stand. The image had tormented him all night long, keeping him from the light dose he sometimes took. Not true sleep, no, never true sleep, but a slight drop in his guard, alert enough to sense danger, but still relaxed enough to be restful. But that night, he had been kept awake until the ungodly wee hours of the morning, the picture of Kagome's fiery kiss with that demon being all he could see in front of him. At the sight of her, her hair mussed, her cheeks flushed, and her lips still swollen ever so slightly, he had seen red.

He knew he was a fool. Kagome had every right to scream and shout and rant at him. When she came back, he knew he was going to get it. But until then, he could wallow in his own self-pity, miserable to say the least.

" Damn wench. Doesn't even know what she does to me." He murmured to no one in particular. If he hoped for an answer to his unspoken question of _why?_ he was sorely disappointed as the tree made no sound, other than that of the wind dancing through their leaves. The depressed halfling muttered a soft string of curses, leaning back against the rough bark of the tree that he had once been held prisoner to. As he tilted his head against the tree, his mind began to drift away, away from the mirai miko, away from her fiery kiss, away from her very presence in his life, and turn back, back, to a different time, a different pain, a different girl.

She would haunt him still, he supposed, even on his deathbed. As he left the world of the living, it would be her face he saw, her voice calling him home, her scent on the spirit winds. After all, there could be no other, never, for he had promised his very soul to her, on a midnight long before, as the collectors of the souls that let her live in her own sense, surrounded her. How could he ever believe there could be someone like her, someone who understood him, someone he could love and trust…

" _M-Moeru…Moeru…shi..kun."_

Inuyasha sat bolt upright, snarling for all he was worth. Forget Kikyo, forget his oath, forget _everything_! The sound of Kagome's voice, husky with repressed passion, weak from the sweet tortures of lip and tongue and teeth, had him digging his claws into the bark of the Goshinboku in an effort not to tear after the scent of the bastard and rip him apart!

Kagome had _moaned_ his name!

Maybe he had been too far off to see much, but his nose and ears had picked up quite a bit. Like the heady scent of Kagome's arousal as the demon kissed her. Or the throaty, breathy, utterly wonderful tone her voice had as she whispered a broken version of the demon's name. The sound of her panting breath, the sight of her kiss-swollen lips, the way her hair must have felt in that bastard's fingers, it all made him blind with fury.

Inuyasha was possessive by nature. Growing up, he had had very little to be possessive _of_, so what he had mattered. When he had found Kikyo, she was the first woman he had let into his heart after his mother had been wrongfully torn from him. He had been in the intent of being as possessive of Kikyo as he could be, lest she slip through his fingers as well. In the end, it hadn't mattered how possessive he was, she had slipped anyway.

So when he found himself with a new companion, a sweet, quick tempered, but undeniably wonderful girl, he had found himself becoming possessive all over again. He claimed that it was to keep his 'shard detector' safe, but he knew, he couldn't bear to let anyone else slip through his fingers again.

Sighing, and rubbing his temple to ward off the oncoming headache, Inuyasha stood. Thinking about all that had made him very tense, very angry, and, to his embarrassment, more than a little turned on. Kagome could make some very pleasant noises, with the right incentive. Shaking his head, and muttering darkly, the hanyou took solace in one thought:

' Well, at least I'm not alone in my suffering. If I know Kagome, she's at home in her bed, crying or sulking.'

>

The neon lights flashed wildly overhead, bathing the writhing crowd in splashes of orange and green and blue. Bodies twisted erratically to the pounding beat of an up-tempo song. The speakers blared louder, sending thundering pulses through the floor and underneath the feet of the dancers. The scent of perfume and body glitter and sweat wafted up to rafters up, stinging the nostrils of the participants on the higher levels. The hot bodies pressed together, flesh on unfamiliar flesh, warm puffs of breath across unknown faces. The dancers below swayed back and forth under the neon's eye, slaves to the D.J.'s will. The door opened slightly as a new body joined the throng, allowing a swift breeze of cooling air to slither around the room, only to be quickly swallowed by the heat emitting off the twisting masses of flesh.

The new arrival slid off her slim leather coat, tossing it into the booth she claimed as hers. She turned to the swaying bodies, an undeniable excitement lighting up her slightly tanned and flushed face. She swung her hips in a seductive fashion as she sauntered over to the dance floor, knowing of the many lustful eyes that followed her movements. She threw herself into the throng, instantly caught up in the thundering pulse of the dance floor. Her body heated up quickly in the midst of so many others, and she relished in the feeling of the sweat sliding down her body in droplets, the rough texture of a stranger's skin next to hers, and tingling sensation she got as an unknown person breathed hot puffs of breath on the skin of her neck as they passed by her. She twisted her body in rhythm to the song, her entire being in motion for this one, perfect second. She allowed her hands to reach slowly for the ceiling, entangling her recently washed hair in the processed. She grinned, almost psychotically, in the bask of the neon glow, as her head tilted upwards in a gesture of pure, simple relief.

As she swayed there, in time to the music, she failed to notice the body working its way through the crowd to her. As the song slowly winded down, she opened her eyes to see a girl her age with blue and silver streaked hair. The girl grinned happily up at her as she reached her, and threw an arm causally around her shoulders.

" Good to see you again, Kagome."

Kagome grinned delightedly, her breath coming out in hot puffs of air. The blue haired beauty, noticing this, tossed her silver streaked head in the direction of a nearby table, before yanking the raven head with her over. Kagome, concentrating on bringing her breathing back down to normal, allowed herself to be dragged along, smiling slightly at the girl. AS the two collapsed into the booth Kagome let out a snicker, which became a giggle, which bubbled up into full blown laughter. The girl joined in, and soon, just under the steady pound of the music, twin sets of giggles, high and girlish, could be heard.

" Nice to see you too." Kagome sputtered out as her fit died down. " I missed you, Tarot."

Tarot grinned, her nose ring, a sapphire stud, sparkling in the neon above, which matched her midnight blue hair. Kagome rolled her eyes.

" But I can't say I missed your hair antics." In a completely un-Kagome-ish move, by her friends' standards, she darted forward and caught a curl of the blue do, admiring it in the bright, flashing lights, before giving it a sharp yank.

" Itai!" Tarot let out a yelp as she pitched forward, one hand darting out to brace herself against the table. She wobbled for a moment, before righting herself and glaring up into Kagome's smirking face.

" Yeah, enjoy that while you can, bitch." She snarled darkly, causing Kagome's smirk to widen. " You wait. One day, you're gonna wanna start whinin' and bitchin' 'bout Dog-boy, and I won't be around to listen, and you sure as Hell can run your mouth off to your mom the way you do to me."

Kagome shot her a look off the side, her face towards the swaying dancers, her eyes fixed on Tarot, and one soft, innocent looking little curl just barely tumbling down on her face. She was the picture of an inexperienced virgin angel; all alone with no idea what she was doing, or how she should be going about it.

But Tarot had known Kagome for too long to fall for it.

" Drop the angel act, you don't really think it'll work on me, do ya _Kaggsie_?"

Kagome winced at the nickname.

" Shut it." She hissed back, but her eyes twinkling far too much for Tarot to take it seriously. " Or do you want me to start calling you your _real_ name in public?"

Tarot's eyes widened as her usually ruddy complexion paled to rival Snow White's.

" You _wouldn't_!" She whispered, her voiced edged with horror. It took all Kagome had not to burst out laughing.

" And you call yourself my best friend." She shook her head in mock disappointment, before looking up and meeting the bright blue – as opposed to two weeks ago's deep green- eyes that glittered with suppressed laughter. Kagome threw a genuine grin, her first in weeks, at the blue haired girl, before reaching over, and tugging at a lock of hair once more, in a much gentler fashion. She raised her eyebrow delicately, and Tarot shrugged.

" I got bored with the brown with the orange streaks." She smirked widely and winked at Kagome. " Gotta spice things up, Spit Fire, or the world would be a helluva lot duller."

Sighing, and shaking her head at the girl's antics, Kagome turned her attention to the dancing forms only a few feet from her. The way they moved, writhed really, to the unending beat made her think of the burning columns of her sweet flame which made her think of-

" Okay, what did he do now?"

The chipper voice of the girl next to her brought Kagome from her swift daze. She shifted in her seat to find Tarot looking at her seriously, her brilliant blue eyes fixated on Kagome's tanned face. The look of determination on her face told Kagome she would have to fess up.

" Would you believe nothing?" She asked quietly. But Tarot, being Tarot, heard anyway. And rolled her eyes.

" No." She replied easily.

" I'm actually serious this time. It wasn't him. It was…someone else." She finished dreamily.

" Koga?" Tarot asked in confusion.

Kagome scrunched up her nose.

" Right." Tarot muttered in understanding. " Like Koga could _ever_ get you into this state. But seriously, who was it?"

Kagome bit back a snicker. Tarot was known for her impatience, and would probably snap and exploded if Kagome didn't tell her.

" It was someone new."

That caught Tarot's attention.

" Someone new! Why wasn't I informed!"

" I'm tellin' ya now, aren't I?" Kagome asked defensively.

" Why wasn't I informed immediately after you met him!"

" Because I was unconscious. You see…"

>

Still fuming, still upset, and definetly still ready to hurt the hanyou, Sango stormed away, leaving the dog-halfling to his thoughts. Still half muttering threats under her breath, she barely noticed the monk tailing after her. But, a taijiya she was until the bitter end, so notice him she did. She didn't know whether to be insulted –_I'm a big girl, I can look after myself!_- or flattered – _Does he care about me enough to follow after me?_-. Deciding that think about Miroku would only lead to a headache, she continued her wandering, aware completely that he was haunting her footsteps. She figured that he would eventually loose interest, or see that she would be fine without his protection, and then walk off to go flirt with the village girls. Really, sometimes she wondered how he retained his holy powers.

Realizing where her train of thoughts was leading her, she cut them off immediately. Knowing exactly what she would be putting herself through if she continued. Thinking about Miroku not only gave her a headache, it gave her a heartache as well.

Because she knew, she _knew_ goddamn it all, that she wasn't what Miroku wanted. She wasn't beautiful or brilliant, or sweet, or kind, or any of the things the village girls they had encountered on their travels were. She wasn't soft, and delicate, and something wonderful to look at. She was Sango.

She was a warrior, rough and hard, all sharp angles and precise surfaces. She had no time to wonder if her kimono was a flattering colour to her skin tone, or if her hair looked just right, or if, when she walked, her hips swung just enough to be attention catching, but not enough to be obvious. For so long, she was believed to be her father's one heir, before her brother was conceived, and so she had trained for that position, making her far too much of a tomboy to ever really care if a man was interested or not.

But she desperately wondered if Miroku was.

She didn't know why. Kami, if she did then maybe she could stop it! But no, she didn't. All she knew was that when Miroku smiled at her, she went utterly weak at the knees. When his hand accidently brushed against hers as they walked, she was short of breath. When Miroku had once brushed his lips against her temple in a form of comfort, her heart had ceased to beat. She cursed it with all her being, with all her soul, mind and essence, but it didn't stop the feeling.

She was in love.

And she'd give anything to make it stop.

>

' If I called to him tonight, would he come?'

The thought had drifted through her for some time. She didn't know what had brought it up, but it was there, and it would leave. No matter how much she pushed it to the back of her mind, no matter how much she told herself it was an insignificant little aspect, the fact was that it bothered her that the question was even there.

She had never known him to deny her. Whenever she had sent up her signal, he would come bounding to her. Whenever she allowed her scent to drift along the breezes, no matter how far, he would come running like a lost puppy to its master. So the fact that she was now questioning whether or not he'd still come when he was called was disturbing.

Perhaps a test…

No.

She would not do such a thing. She had never had to put the fact of the matter to a test, and she would not start now. To execute such a test would be admitting that she was afraid of loosing him, and that would mean she still held feelings for him. Which was simply impossible.

How could one who was dead still hold feelings?

She was paranoid, that was all. She was afraid that if she lost her grip on him, he would break his vow to her, and remain her, on this plain, instead of coming down to Hell with her, where they both belonged.

After all, she gave up her life to follow after him that day. She allowed herself to die, so that he would not be lonely in death without her. She had not wished to face a world that did not hold him within it, and so she had accepted the gentle hand of Death when it was extended to her, if only to be with him in the next world.

But her plan to be with him had been foiled. She had not found him on the other side, and she had finally begun to make peace with that, when the damn ogress had torn her from her solitude, and placed her in a body of ash and clay and graveyard soil. It wasn't until the soul had nearly been ripped from her new body that she had recognized the body of her reincarnate.

She had no true sway in the mind of her new body. She was merely a presence in the back of her reincarnation's mind, a series of thoughts and feelings that could be called up when the revenant saw something that linked to her former life. She herself remained locked away, only a whispered voice in her reincarnation's deepest dreams, fated to never be remembered at morning's light.

Until that day.

She had tried to remain inside the body. Her reincarnation was comfortable, a pleasant girl-child with gentle dreams and kind intentions. She had begged, as the souls inside her reincarnation fought to be freed, to not be called for. She had whispered, in a pleading voice, for him not to complete the spell.

" _Do not call out for me. Do not call out my name!"_

He hadn't heard her, let alone the desperation in her voice.

She had been helpless as she was ripped from her new body into the clay one, all of her bitter and resentful feelings resurfacing in an instant. She attempted to complete her task of killing him, while in the back of her mind, in a switch, the voice of her reincarnation begged her to be calm, pleaded with her to not hurt her friend. She had shut the girl out.

But her reincarnation was no idle foe.

She had, in a last, desperate move to set things right and restore what had been upset, called the soul to her own body. What had been the greatest shock of all was the willingness of the soul, _her_ soul, to return to the body of her reincarnation. Every pure thought, every gentle intention, every kind word, all the things that were honourable, and sweet, and _good_ about her had been taken from the body of clay, so filled with resentment and anger, and given back to the mere slip of a girl who had fallen into a well and unwittingly set into motion the events that would spur the greatest adventure ever experienced. In the end, she had realized, her death, even her life, had been nothing more than a way to send the soul across time, and then bring it back to end what it once started. She had realized long before that in the eyes of Fate, she had been nothing more than a pawn, used in order to bring her reincarnation to this place. Her reincarnation was the key to everything.

And it was that, the fact that _she_ was merely a pawn, while the girl held the fate of the world in her hands, that made Kikyo so very bitter towards Kagome.

>

He sensed it the moment she left.

He couldn't explain how, or why, simply that her presence, the presence he could feel across all of Japan, had vanished without a trace.

He awoke with a start as she was ripped from their dream palace of fire, away from their sensual dance. Trembling with arousal, he tried his best to ignore how uncomfortably tight his hakamas had become, and focus on finding her energy.

He had never met anyone like her. She made the air worth breathing, the sun worth feeling, life worth continuing. He never thought, when he was ordered to watch the little rag-tag group, that he would ever find _her_. She was everything he had ever wanted in a woman. Everything and more. The way her hair fell over her shoulders, the way her eyes glittered with laughter, the way her hips swayed to an unheard rhythm, it was all he had ever dreamed of and more. The more he thought of her, the more he wanted to see her again. Feel her body pressed tight to his once more. Taste those perfect, full lips on his over and over again. He was a man obsessed, but what did he care? Obsessions were nothing strange to him.

" Oi!"

Whipping around from his haze, Moeru-shi turned to face the horizon, where the sharp, cold, feminine voice had sounded. His burning coal eyes widening, he caught sight of a figure floating along the clouds, suspended in the air by a feather.

" Oh shit." He murmured quietly to himself as the woman floated closer, and dark look in her crimson eyes. " Kagura."

>

Thank you, I love you all. Please, please leave a review. I'll even accept flames. Actually, I haven't had a flame, and I kinda wanna respond to one. It would be a great learning experience. But oh well, please don't hate me. I'm not really sure (I tend to go into some kinda trance while writing) but I think this chapter may be a little longer than the others. Oh well, thanks for reading!

MoS


	10. Fires of Love

I'm making it up to all you people, two chapters. I'm tired, and sleepy, and here we go…

Oh yeah, and

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I owned nothing in the last chapter, I own nothing now.

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**Inferno **

_The more you fight it, the brighter it burns._

Chapter 9: Fires of Love

" Moeru-shi? Doesn't that mean 'burning death'?"

" Something to that affect, I believe."

" So, you're totally hot over a guy whose name means 'burning death'? How awesome is that!"

" Tarot!"

Shaking her raven head, Kagome reached for the bag of cookies lying a few inches from her form that was collapsed on her bed. The simple over-sized t-shirt she wore as night clothes rode up slightly, and the girl plopped down on the floor before her was given a perfect view of Kagome's thigh, toned from two years of shard hunting. Tarot let out a low whistle.

" Damn Kaggsie, I know about fifteen girls who would _kill_ to have a body like yours."

" Have you been ogling me again?" Kagome asked, rolling her eyes. " Keep looking at me like that, and I'm gonna think you've turned bi on me and are interested."

Tarot pulled herself up onto the bed, her face a breath away from Kagome's. The raven haired beauty blanched.

" Well, who says I haven't?" Tarot replied breathily, running her hand over Kagome's clothed side. Kagome's surprised looked morphed into one of panic, and she tore away from Tarot to the farthest corner of the bed near the wall. Tarot burst out laughing.

" You should have seen your _face_!" She gasped out between laughs. " It was _priceless_!"

Realizing she had been tricked, Kagome snarled angrily at Tarot, before launching the pillow next to her at her laughing friend, hitting her dead on the face. Tarot wobbled, and toppled off the bed, pillow and all.

" Oh, it is on!" Came her muffled cry of battle from somewhere off the floor.

Fifteen minutes, and several destroyed pillows later, Kagome and her companion lay panting on the bed, faces flushed from their battle, chest heaving up and down from the lack of air they had taken in as they attacked one another, and hair in tangles messes, tumbling down their backs.

" So what's he like?"

The question drifted over from Tarot, who didn't seem to mind the randomness of it. Tarot was a random person. If she wanted an answer, she would go to any lengths to obtain it, even so far as black mail. Tarot wasn't what could be called 'normal', because she herself had once stated,

" Who wants to normal? Being bizarre is way more fun!"

And it was true. For them, anyway. Being 'normal' never had much appeal to Kagome or Tarot. They enjoyed being weird, standing out. It meant being different, being special. It meant being able to hide the pain of not fitting in, of not having friends, with having everyone look at you, half frightened, half amazed, because you were willing to show that you were like other people. So what if being different meant being lonely? It was still way more fun then being normal.

Well, lonely didn't really work with them. They had each other.

" He's perfect." Kagoem whispered back. " He's all hot and warm and it's like I'm on fire just being near him. I stop thinking, I stop wondering, and all there is is this _feeling_ this wonderful _feeling_, like he's all over my body, and inside me too, and I can't even remember my own name. I just want to stay there, right there with him, where he is, and let him kiss me and hold me, and then I want him to make lo-"

" AH! Too much info!" Tarot, blushing and more than a little freaked, threw her hands up over her ears in an effort to block her best friend's monologue." Aren't you getting a little heavy a little! I mean, you met the guy yesterday! And now suddenly, you're ready to have sex with him! Damn it Kaggsie, if he's all that then he should be worth _waiting_ for!"

" This coming from you?" Kagome asked quietly, but knowing she had hit a nerve. She didn't have to look at Tarot's face to know it had darkened and her bright blues had dulled like shades had been pulled down behind them.

" That…That was a …a-a mistake. It was a mistake, and you know that. You know I would never, that I didn't want to…not with him…not with…"

Kagome sat up and pulled Tarot over into her arms. She hugged the girl as if it were as natural as breathing, as though she had done it a million times before. And she had.

" Sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

" No. It's okay. You're the only person who really knows what happened that night, besides me and…him."

" What I don't get," Kagome muttered softly, still gripping Tarot, " is why you didn't try to get him on rape. He could have gone to prison for what he did to you."

" You can't rape the willing." Tarot murmured, her face still pressed into Kagomes shoulders.

" You can't mean you were…"

" I was when he suggested it, I was while it happened, it wasn't until after that I realized…I realized what a horrible mistake I'd made. I mean, c'mon, him? I could so do better!"

Snickering as the mood lightened, Kagome gently let Tarot up. That night, the night so long ago, remain a secret to the grave between the two friends. Kagome would sooner take her own life, then let loose one whisper of what had occurred that night. Tarot trusted her with that life long secret, and it would remain as such until the afore mentioned girl released them from the pact. Kagome glanced over at her oldest friend, whose face, though covered in a cheery smile, couldn't hide the haunted look of her eyes.

' Bastard!' She hissed in her head. ' Tarot was too good for you!'

A soft and somewhat comfortable silence settled in between the two girls, each one too caught up in her thoughts to say anything.

" It's him, you know." Kagome said finally. Tarot glanced up, startled. Kagome's eyes were staring blankly ahead. Her face was flushed with an excitement Tarot hadn't seen in a long time. Her voice was soft, whispery, alluring, and then Tarot understood. She understood Kagome's desperation to be with this demon. She understood why Kagome could think of nothing else. In the span of a few hours, as the two had sat in the club, Kagome had revealed all to Tarot of what had occurred over the last few days. Tarot, ever watchful of Kaogme's mood and body language, had seen the stirrings of an obsession, rivaling even the miko's love of fire. Tarot, in an effort to understand and protect her friend, had urged every detail that Kagome could recall about Moeru-shi, and tell her. Now, some two hours later, after ditching the club and going over to Kaogme's home (It was safe she was home alone. Mrs. Higurashi was less than fond of Tarot), Tarot finally understood why Kagome felt so strongly about the Moeru-shi.

" Your savior?"

>

Neither trembling nor shaking she walked, her white form a stark contrast with the writhing shadows of the demonic hordes that were at Naraku's beck and call. She walked steadily onward, ignoring their rumbling growls and the blood lust that was reflected back at her through their glowing, merciless eyes.

She was a being of nothingness, she did not know fear.

She envied the others sometimes. True, she had her freedom, she could come and go as she pleased, for there was no way for her to be sensed, not by scent, nor sound, nor tracing footsteps. She was a being of whiteness, and knew nothing of the cruel burdens emotions could leave upon a soul. She could not understand Kagura's desire to be free any more than she could comprehend the wicked laughter that escaped Naraku's lips when one of his twisted plans went to his accord. She could not understand emotions, for she could not feel them.

Or so they thought.

Somewhere along the path she walked now, at some point in time, she had begun to wish she could feel. To not just breathe the air because she was required to, but to _want_ to breathe it, to _feel_ the rush of the wind through her body as she inhaled. She wanted to know why it was that her younger sister would sit by the window, staring off into the distance, a wistful and sad expression etched onto her beautiful face. Oh yes, she knew Kagura wanted freedom, but she, she who had freedom, wanted to know what it felt like to _experience_ it, to actually smile because she was capable of doing so, to laugh when she found something amusing. To cry when her heart broke in two. These were freedoms her sibling had and she did not, and she would trade places with the wind sorceress in an instant.

So she went on wishing and longing to feel, until on night, looking at the brilliant full moon (she had little need for sleep), she realized she was _longing_. She wanted something, she desired it. She craved and yearned and wished on every star in the sky twice for it. And she had it. She was _longing_, she was _feeling_.

It was like being born all over again. It was like seeing the dawn after a night of hardship and battle. It was like surviving a long and difficult journey, and then looking up and seeing your home.

She watched the sun peak up over the mountaintops that morning, and breathed in the new day. The air rushed sweet and cool in her lungs, and for the first time since she had been created, little under two years, she smiled. A breath taking, sweet, innocent smile, that burst forth from her like a wave crash onto the land.

' This is what I have been missing.' She thought to herself as the dawn's light faded into day. ' This is what you kept from me Naraku. But no more. I won't let you take this away from me.'

So she hid it. She was good at hiding it. Naraku, nor Kagura, nor anyone ever learned of her secret. She acted impassive, uninterested, emotionless, and fooled them all so easily. She was trusted far too much, relied on far too much, for her to let on just yet. Just a little bit longer, and she may just be able to bring her _master_ to his knees.

So she sat there, mirror in hand, showing him images of his handiwork, watching as his face lit up with glee at each mangled body, at each obliterated home, at each cry of pain. She watched as he murmured unheard instructions to unsuspecting pawns who played right into his hands without even realizing it. She watched him through her white bangs, her expression neutral, her face impassive.

' Monster.' She whispered in her mind, knowing her couldn't hear her. ' Monster. Filth. Thief. Just wait, just you wait. Your tricks can't protect you forever. One day, this will all catch up with you, _Master_, and then no trick will be able to save you then.

>

He caught her scent out of instinct. It was purely that, a basic reflex, to search the air for her scent, just in case she was nearby. Just in case she needed him. So when he caught the first trace of her scent on the evening breezes, he detected that she was just fine, perfectly all right, and very much not in need of him at all.

So it was habit, he would alter claim, that had him tearing from his position by the well (not that he would admit who he was waiting for, or that he was even waiting at all) and darting off into the forest at break neck speeds to get to her.

His demon half screaming for him to turn right around and go back to the well all the way.

He found her, as he always did, leaning by a tree, her beauty frozen in one single moment in time. She stood, untouched by time, the very same image he had once fallen so deeply for. The emotions of old coursed up through his body, which ached with longing for her touch. He walked toward her, ever so cautious so as not to appear as though he would attack.

As if he could ever harm her.

" Kikyo." He breathed, his tone love sick. She turned to him, neither please nor pleased with his presence. Her face, pale and unearthly beautiful in death, remain neutral, betraying nothing.

" Inuyasha." She said in her calm, quiet tone. Never did she give him the hint that she still clung to their romance as he did, but he prayed, prayed to the Heavens that there was still some spark between them, something that could rekindle the love they had had for one another.

As he took another step forward, his demon side let out a piteous whine, which sounded suspiciously like Kagome's name. Shoving the demon within him aside, first telling it that he loved _Kikyo_, he stood before her, unable to think. She was as breathtaking in death as she had been in life. His entire being welled up with emotion and he darted forward, enveloping her in an embrace. She remained stationed, refusing to return his warm arms with her won. She was cold, so cold from death. Perhaps his heat could warm her up again, bring her back to him, so they could-

" You claim you love me, but fly into jealous rages when another male so much as glances in her direction, Inuyasha. Truth be told, you are quite amusing."

He jumped back at her voice, cool and calculated as usual. There was the faintest shadow of a smirk on her face and her eyes were glittering slightly, instead of flat and dead as they normally were. He took a step back, unsure of how to deal with this new Kikyo presented to him.

" Wh-What are you talking about?"

She turned her head to the side, and closed her eyes, and sigh puffing out of her lips.

" Don't be coy with me, Inuyasha. It didn't work then, and it won't now."

Blinking in bewilderment, Inuyasha cocked his head to the side in confusion.

" You claim that you love only me." Kikyo said wearily, humoring him and explaining. " Yet when another male comes near Kagome, you fly to fits of rage and jealous and attempt to kill the male. Only to be stopped by sweet and gentle hearted Kagome, who wishes to help all living things. Your antics are amusing."

Slack jawed from being told by his love that he was jealous over Kagome, Inuyasha began to splutter and babble.

" Wh-What! J-Jealous! Over _Kagome_! She's-She;s my shard detector, h-how-how els-else would we-we find the sh-shard-shards?"

" You were practically frothing at the mouth when you came upon Kagome being ravished by that fire demon."

Her phrased stopped him dead through his babble, and he looked up at her in alarm. If she had been there, then she would have seen how close his demon was to taking over, and she might think that he cared more for Kagome then he did for her.

" Kikyo…I-"

" If I were you, I'd be less worried about what I think, and more worried about my reincarnation." She cut him off, her voice clipped.

" Wh-Why?"

" Simple, my _love_," Her voice was almost a sneer, " He's looking for her as we speak."

>

She stood at the mouth of the well, staring down into tits blackened pits.

Two years. Two years since Mistress Centipede has caught hold of her and dragged her down into a world of monsters and mikos and a jewel that could end up saving or destroying the world. Two years since she had been doing this. Two years sicne she had been that ignorant little girl. How the time had flown by. Now, here she was, seventeen, and she had finally found him.

Flash

" Be careful." Tarot whispered as she crouched on Kagome's windowsill. The car pulled into a garage far below, the head lights killed as it drove in. Kagome, back in her school uniform, glanced over at her best friend.

" Get outta here before my mom finds you." Kagome hissed, sounding rougher than she meant to. But Tarot was Tarot, and she knew better than to hold it against Kagome. " She said she'll get you for trespassing if she ever caught you here again."

" I'm goin', I'm goin'" The blue haired girl began cussing darkly under her breath as she eased herself onto the branch of the Goshinboku near Kagome's window. " But you will be careful, ne? You won't rush into things, you won't go runnin' off to see this guy, will ya?"

Kagome looked up into her best friend's pleading eyes, their original hazel, her contacts in a case in her pocket. Kagome felt every soft laugh they had ever shared, every stupid prank they had ever pulled, every circle Tarot had drawn on her back as they hugged each other tightly when she moved.

" I'll bring you." She whispered. Tarot looked up, hardly daring to believe her ears.

" Next time I come back, when I go there, I'll bring you." Kagome's heart was going very fast, and she was almost certain tarot could hear it. " You have a right, I mean, you're the only one outside my family that knows, so you should be allowed to come. You'll love it."

Tears gathering the brown eyes, Tarot flung herself back into the room and hugged Kagome to her. The two stood, locked in their embrace, not noticing the approaching footsteps.

" Kagome, dear, are you asl-"

The two jumped back from each other as Mrs. Higurashi caught sight of them.

For a single instant, the three were frozen, unable to move, unable to comprehend what was going on. Then the shock wore off.

" You!" Kagome's mother yelled, in a way that had never been used before. Kagome gave a quick shove.

" Tarot, GO!"

Tarot leapt from the room to the tree with feline grace, and scaled it. She landed on two feet on the soil, looked up, gave a jaunty salute to Mrs. Higurashi, and took off running like a bat out of Hell. By the time Mrs. Higurashi had pulled her head back into the room after watching Tarot disappear, Kagome was half way to the well house.

Flash

Sighing, Kagome flung herself over the edge of the well, figuring she'd deal with her family when she got back. She pushed them from her mind as the feeling of floating over took her and the bright light signaled to her that she was indeed flying 500 years into the past.

She touched down on soft earth, her bag slung daintily over her shoulder. Grumbling about stupid hanyous, and why they had to go off and see their undead lovers right when she needed help getting out of the well, she yanked a vine and hauled herself up, cursing Inuyasha to hell the entire way.

No sooner had she dropped her bag on solid earth and was mid way through a stretch when arms wound their was around her waist and she was twisted around to face her captor before she could scream. She met with a pair of glowing, red-hot coal like eyes.

" Moeru-sh-" But even before his name could completely pass from her lips, he had dove down like bird of prey, and swallow her voice in a bruising and passionate kiss.

' How can I not rush into things,' She thought as her knees went weak, ' when he's the one doing the rushing?'

>

I'm tired, I'm going to bed, please review.


	11. Fuel to the Fire

Okay, here we go, chapter 10. Please enjoy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

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**Inferno **

_The more you fight it, the brighter it burns._

Chapter 10: Fuel to the Fire

She thought she had made herself very clear.

If that girl ever had the gall to set foot on their shrine again, then she, as the adult in the situation, would have her thrown off for trespassing.

She might even go so far as to get a restraining order.

She wasn't sure why, or how, but she knew that she did _not_ want that misbehaving, undisciplined, and all together rowdy girl around her Kagome!

Mrs. Higurashi was a nice person, all around. She was helpful and kind and always ready to listen. She adored her two beautiful children, and helped her aging father to look after the family shrine. She always welcomed any friends Kagome may bring over, be they human or not, with open arms, and a plate of cookies.

Save for one Tarot Yogenshano.

Miyokara didn't know what it was about the girl, whose hair and eye colour changed every week, that made her so nervous. All she knew was that the day Kagome had come home, not accompanied by Ayumi, or Eri, or Yuka, but by a stranger, Miyokara's heart had leapt into her throat. The girl beside her daughter was like no one she had ever met previously. Her eyes were a deep, unnatural purple shade, true colour hidden behind contacts. Her eyebrows, a dusty sort of brown, were the only hint of what her true hair may be coloured, for tumbling down her shoulders were deep, burgundy locks that swayed to and fro as she sauntered, not walked, _sauntered_ up to Mrs. Higurashi, and smirked in a rebellious fashion.

" Mama, this is Tarot. We're gonna go up to my room and work on our project, 'kay?"

She had known Kagome was partnered up for some sort of project, she just hadn't known it was with that girl.

In the following weeks, Miyokara had watched, with increasing anxiety, Kagome form a deep friendship with the strange and rather angry preteen girl. What she hadn't known then was that the bond had already been there for quite some time.

Kagome, in her earlier years, had had a habit of leaving her diary out in the open; lying in a box of things that she had collected in her childhood, always open by her windowsill. One day, while vacuuming the room, the box had been upturned, and the contents had come spilling out. Sighing, and gathering up her daughter's treasures, she had come across a series of letters, folded carefully, covered in a loopy, feminine scrawl. Though she knew it had been wrong, and she knew Kagome might never forgive her, Miyokara had plucked up one letter, and read it.

_Dear Kags,_

_Hey, how goes it girl? Heard about what happened in school today, nice. Very nice. Showed that punk, didn't ya? God, couldn't you keep your hands and **teeth** to yourself for longer than a day? You are a wonder Spit fire, you are a wonder. Nothin's really changed around here, except the fact that you ain't here. Damn, it's gotten boring without you here to pull pranks with, and make faces at the teachers behind their backs with, you know, all the stuff we used to do. But screw that, how's your new school? Make any new friends? Are any of them as cool as me? No wait, don't answer that, there's no way any of those blue stockin' private school girls could ever be as cool as me. All I really heard was about how that freak who punched some girl you were walking with got what was comin' to him. So what, those girls your friends? Can I meet 'em, Spit fire? I promise to behave. Write me back soon, 'kay? I miss you. _

_Wishing you were still here,_

_Tarot Card._

As the first letter had fallen from her trembling hands, Miyokara had realized just how little she knew of her own daughter. She had torn into the small pile of letters, reading each with disbelief and apprehension. By the time she was sifting trough papers looking for the key to Kagome's diary, she was chalk white and shaking all over.

Kagome had lied to her.

Had been lying to her for a long time.

Tarot wasn't her partner for any project.

Tarot wasn't even in Kagome's school, let alone her class.

According to several long diary entries, Kagome had met Tarot in the old neighbourhood, when Miyokara's husband still lived with them. Tarot, the day after the event, had been the first to know that Kagome's father had walked out on them. It had been Tarot, not her, that Kagome had run to for comfort and soothing words. Tarot was the one who had dried Kagome's tears, listened to her angry complaints, and agreed to hunt down her father when they were old enough and demand an explanation.

Miyokara felt her heart break as she realized that Kagome trusted Tarot far more than she trusted her.

The letters she had read were all from Tarot, ranging from little notes passed in between classes to full blown, three paged letters to Kagome, telling her of events and occurrences, and even plans of visiting, which were always followed by letters reliving the fun they had had. It made the elder Higurashi woman sick to know that ever since they had moved, almost every sleep over, almost ever movie outing, almost every mall days, had ended up being a ride on the public transit for twenty minutes, and a meeting in back alleys and drug stores, for hours of long discussions, and stupid, inside jokes, and even once or twice, going with Tarot and her mom to see Tarot getting a new piercing in her ear.

She had just been closing the diary when the door had come open, and the two girls had waltzed in, looking proud of themselves and quite content. Then Kagome had looked over at her window.

" Mama! What are y-" She looked down. She saw the upturned box. She saw the letters scattering the ground. She saw the diary in her mother's hands.

" Bitch!" She snarled loudly, stunning her mother. Kagome had never sworn in her presence before. Miyokara had been under the impression that Kagome _didn't_ swear.

" What did you say, young lady!" That had been a mistake.

Kagome had let loose a string of curses, all falling effortlessly from her mouth, smoothly slipping out one after another, while Tarot stood in the background, arms crossed and a smirk on her face, her orange bangs and green hair tumbling over her face. As Kagome finally stopped cussing, her face all flushed with anger and loss of breath, she swiped back a tendril of hair that threatened to fall over her eyes, and Miyokara was treated to the sight of her daughter's triple pierced cartridge.

" Kagome…" She began, her voice dangerously low. Kagome, sensing the impeding trouble, turned her widened eyes to Tarot, who gave her a short nod. With no warning at all, the two girls bolted from the room, tearing down the stairs and almost knocking a younger Souta over. As she turned the corner to escape her room, Miyokara caught sight of a vivid blue streak in the ebony tresses.

It had taken an hour to find the girls, who had run full out the local highschool, and hid among its many disembarking students. Neither of the two had been to school all day. When they had been caught, Miyokara had dragged the two back to the Higurashi shrine, and forced Tarot's home phone number out of Kagome. When Mrs. Yogenshano arrived, Miyokara had blown up at the irresponsible woman, asking how she could let both Kagome and Tarot run wild like that without her knowledge.

" I thought you _knew_!" Was the stunned reply. Mrs. Yogenshano had always been told that Miyokara not only knew of the girls' outings, but approved of them as well. Miyokara had been shocked and furious with her daughter. After giving a forced pleasant goodbye to Tarot, she had rounded on Kagome, forbidding her from ever seeing tarot again, from ever allowing Tarot into their house again, from even thinking of Tarot. Kagome had stood silent through the whole affair, murder reflected in her eyes. She had left, walking up the stairs with an eerie calm, and it wasn't until Miyokara had come up later to say good night, hoping the girl had cooled down, that she heard Kagome cursing her to Hell.

>

Hissing several unpleasant invitations to the Gods above, Kagura stormed through the darkened halls of Naraku's palace, daring any demon fool enough to approach her. Her temper ignited, her eyes shooting sparks from their crimson depths, her elongated fangs peeping out just beneath her ruby lips, no creature would dare come near her, let alone speak with her.

No creature save this one.

" Did it go well, Kagura?" The soft, barely heard whisper drifted up into Kagura's pointed ears. She paused in her enrage walk, her eyes swiftly drawn to a shadowed corner she had missed in her fury. From the black pits the white creature stepped forward, her skin too milky to be healthy, her hair too white to be real, and her empty black eyes far too soulless to be human.

" Kanna." The younger woman acknowledged, her tone softened by the sight of her elder sister. " Yes, it went well. The fool rushed off like the wind over water as soon as he heard where he could find her."

Kanna nodded slightly, her precious mirror clutched to her like a lifeline. Her snow-white dress hung limply around her form, for though she was the elder, her body was that of a child. No hint of womanly curves, nor annoying cycles of blood letting marred Kanna's innocent existence. She was a child in all but her mind, which was as cool and calculated as their creators's, damn him to the deepest pit in hell. There were times when Kagura wished Kanna were more of a person and less of a minion. It would give her some solace to have another to talk to.

" Then why are you so upset?" Kanna's voice was always hollow. " If it went so well you should be glad."

" It went well alright. Too well. He's become attached to Inuyasha's wench. His whole face lights up at the mention of her. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was-"

" We are creatures born of Naraku's flesh. We are creatures of his design. We do as he tells us to, and we do exactly as he tell us to. We are minions, tools of his will, and merely that."

She glanced up at Kagura and the sorceress, for the first time since she had be born, saw a flicker of … _something_ pass through Kanna's black eyes. A instant later, it was gone, but Kagura was sure that an emotion, however slight, had danced through Kanna's eyes before she finished her whisper.

" We have no need for love."

>

From behind a flimsy paper door, Naraku watch the sisters talk. Their voices, however faint, drifted into his solitude and disrupted it.

He had little need to hear the news Kagura brought with her, he knew how it would turn out. He knew that his latest creation had no need for a push when it came to the little miko who followed Inuyasha around. His creation was designed to be drawn to the girl, drawn to her fire.

Naraku could see past Kagome's mask, now at least. Whenever she was alone in this time, whenever she dropped her mask and guard, he saw it, through the wonders of Kanna's mirror. He was surprised at first. Shocked by the depth of her anger, and her passion, and her deception. He became furious that she could fool him, but put it aside as a plan, and trick of the greatest magnitude, started to form in his mind. His specialty was to use people to destroy others, preferably the ones they cherished and held dear. After all, that was how he had manipulated Kikyo into the undead creature she was now, living only off her spite and hatred. True, he hadn't known the exact twist the events he set into motion would take, but he was pleased with the repercussions. He had had all of his plans set, and then that irritating little miko waltzed in, screwing up all of his carefully laid traps. She was the unexpected hurdle, the volatile number thrown into the equation at the last minute, the unknown substance. He had little knowledge of her, and her weaknesses, whenever he exposed them, were morphed by her will into strength.

Never had he met a mortal as the likes of she.

He had never known there to be a girl in all the world so determined, so strong, so ready to accept any burden as Kagome. She enraged and fasinated him all at once, and he longed to destroy and possess her. She was an enigma, a puzzle he couldn't solve. How was it that she loved Inuyasha so dearly, and yet was so ready to save Kikyo. What made it possible for her to so despise him, and yet play mother to that orphaned fox child. How was she able to slay his demonic hordes with such raw power and determination, yet she bound the wounds of beasts like Sesshomaru? What made this girl so strong and so weak all at once, so pure and so tainted at the same time, so perfect, and so flawed in the same instant?

It was not a question Naraku had an answer to.

But he was willing to kill to find out.

>

Life, she had decided, was good. The feel of his lips over hers again just sent every thought flying from her mind as he dared to nibble at her already kiss-swollen lower lip. His name came out in a broken rush of breath from her mouth, and her vision blurred until all there was was him.

Her name dropped softly from his lips, only slightly puffed. She wanted to dive in, make it look like a beehive had attacked those pink lips, and then show the world who this sex-god belonged to. But before she could do that, she would have to gain back control over her limbs, which were refusing to answer the calls over her mind.

He bit down softly on her pulse, teeth grazing her skin. A whimper of delirious pleasure whispered out of her lips, causing him to smirk against her skin.

" Moe-kun." She murmured, as it was all she could manage. She was shocked she could even make words form, as she mind was a fuzzy hazy and she could barely recall her own name. " We-We have t-to st-st-stop!" Here, he vocal cords failed her as he suckled the junction of her neck and shoulder, and ran his tongue over the angry red mark that had appeared.

" Why?"

It was a wonderful question, and she had an answer.

It just refused to come to her right now.

How body felt heavy and warm and oh-so-wonderful. Her eyelids were droopy, and her blood was hot. Her fingers were tracing patterns on his exposed chest as his tangled themselves hopelessly in her ebony tresses. She had tried to protest, she had only just washed it, but he had silenced her with a simple 'Shush.'. She knew, vaguely, that she was being seduced, but she was too high up on the feelings he was arousing in her to care.

" Talk." She muttered as he licked the length of her throat. Where had he learned tricks like that? " We n-need to-to ta-LK!" He bit down on her earlobe, and she felt her knees buckle. She collapsed against him, too weak with the sensations to do anything. As he heard his dark chuckle, and almost saw his smirk, her fire returned with a passion. Reduce her to a babbling pile of goo, would he! She'd show him!

He face was level with is partly exposed abs, her knees still bend. Hiding a smirk with her hair, she leaned forward and brushed her tongue against the sweet texture of his skin. Above her, she felt him tense.

She worked her way up slowly across his chest, drawing her tongue over the contours of his muscles. With each glance she risked upward, his face became more flushed, his teeth drug into his lip to keep from moaning, and the short, quick puffs of breath became pants. As she suckled his collarbone with her soft lips, he became undone.

" Kagome." He managed to gasp out, as she nipped at his throat.

" Yeeeess?" She drawled seductively, letting her hips brush up against his.

" No fair." He muttered, threading his fingers in her hair over and over again. Giggling at what he handiwork had reduced him to, she pulled back slightly to see his flushed face.

His burning coal eyes darkened with predatory lust as she gave him some leeway. He darted forward, pushing her back against the well, crashing his mouth to hers with an intensity that made her gasp. His tongue in her mouth, his one arm bracing against the well, while other curled around her waist, she was in heaven. She pushed up against him, her hands flying to burying themselves in his shoulder length red/orange hair. His mouth danced over her, nibbling and sucking and licking over and over until she thought she'd loose her mind. She caught his tongue between her lips and sucked on it seductively. He let out a hoarse noise from the back of his throat that vibrated against her lips, and all thought flew form her mind.

They remained there, pressed to the well, lost in their own world as fire ignited around them, completely oblivious as the world around them continued turning. They were too far into each other, to absorbed in the other's feel, taste, sound, to ever notice anything but themselves. Kagome curled her leg around his and made a noise of approval as he bit into her lower lip softly. Moaning in contentment, she pressed herself hard to him, as a groan of delight escaped him. They stood there, wrapped up in each other, blissfully unaware of the fires that danced around them.

And that was how Inuyasha found them.

>

I gave myself a hand cramp writing this. I'll try to chappie 11 up by the end of the day, or tomorrow. R&R

MoS


	12. Stirring the Embers

I know you guys probably hate me, and never want to talk, er, review to me again, and I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but all I can say is that I was hit by the mother of all writer's blocks. I started doing drabbles to break it, but even that didn't work. I've been trying and trying to come up with a good chapter, but everything I wrote was either complete crap, or gave away too much. This is my fifth or sixth attempt at this chapter, and it's the best I've managed so far, so I'm praying it'll be good. I'm starting on the next chapter as soon as I upload this one, so with nay luck it will be up sometime on the weekend. Please forgive this humble authoress, she means well.

Disclaimer: The anime is not mine. The plot and several O.C.'s however, are.

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**Inferno **

_The more you fight it, the brighter it burns._

Chapter 11: Stirring the Embers

The storm was here.

Rain splattered against the windows and left streaks on the clean glass, differing from the blood streaming from her arm only by its clarity.

Hissing in pain, she darted forward and began to search for the bandages that always lay scattered around her room. The jagged, quick flash of lightning outside slashed the sky in two, lighting her room up for a fraction of an instant. A bed stood against the back wall, covered in a thick, plush green sheet. A lamp stood fixed on the bedside table, its gold base and neck twisted in an intriquet design, ending in the jade coloured lamp shade that hid the bulb and threw the room into a haze of green. Swearing violently under breath, she darted forward when a second flash illuminated the bandages, thrown carelessly into a corner after their last use. Hissing unpleasant invitations to the Powers That Be, she deftly wrapped the bandages around her cut arm and shot a glance across the room.

In an unattended corner, by the window, sat a bowl.

Kanji inscriptions around it were lit up by yet another flash of lightning. The gently crafted clay of the bowl had long ago hardened to a creamy colour, the glaze finish making it shine in the pale light.

And the light it itself emitted.

Smirking slightly as she finished with her arm, the young woman strode lazily over to the bowl, her face covered by a black hoodie. The only exposed part, the pink lips curled into a knowing smirk, shifted to a slight frown as she observed the content of the bowl.

The silvery water of the surface, which danced and spun of its own accord, seemed to sense her staring down at it and emitted several splashes.

" Stop it." She murmured and the playful nature of the strange water stopped instantly.

" Now show me the story."

At the sound of her calm, commanding voice, the ripples and waves disappeared from the surface of the water, leaving it as smooth as a mirror. The silver, glass-like texture reflected the face of the girl back into her eyes from one moment, before, by no means other than itself, a ripple began, starting in the dead center of the bowl. It spread out faster and faster, grown bigger. As it travel, the surface pf the water became blurry with colour and features. Shifting shapes, passing colours blended together slowly as the water's surface gave way to a picture.

Of two people, one a black-haired girl in a Japanese school-girl uniform and the other a red headed male in a black kimono that would no have been out of place in history text book, passionately kissing by an old well.

The girl's lips flickered with a smile, before turning downwards in an unmistakable frown.

" They're moving too fast. They need to slow down." Biting her lip, she shook her head. The surface of the image rippled lightly, distorting it for a moment, as if a silent question had been asked.

" Yes, I know she's happy, and God only knows she deserves it, what with that bastard of a protector, but if they keep accelerating at this rate, the events will go too fast, and I may not be able to intervene when needed."

Again, the surface rippled, faster, harder, almost as if something was trembling.

" I'm scared too, but there's nothing we can really do about it now. I'll see if I can't rig something with the cards, keep her out of the way, but for now, we are in observation mode." The sides of the bowl were dampened as the water splashed up a little, almost as if in annoyance.

" Don't do that, you'll wreck the carpet. And anyway, it's all we can do." She sighed, rubbing her temples. "Now, is the _protector_," her sarcasm was thick, " in pursuit? We can only hope the Lost One has done her job."

The water's surface rippled once more, but this time, the blur of colour and shapes returned. The image shifted and changed, melding into a whole new scene. The girl looking on smirked coldly as she observed the red clad figure running at top speed, his silver hair blown out behind him, his golden eyes flashing dangerously in the sun overhead.

' Give it up, _Protector_. Your hold on dear Kagome's heart is fading much faster than you could ever run.'

>

Smirking smugly to herself, Sango continued on, congratulation herself on loosing Miroku.

It had taken some time, involving many swift turns and tricky paths, but she was at last rid of the perverted holy man, and free to do as she wished.

Looking down at her dirty clothes, stained with the dirt and mud she encountered on her quest, she wrinkled her nose.

" I need a bath." Sango said to no one in particular, throwing her head back, and humming slightly under her breath. It was a song that she barely knew, Kagome having been the one who let her hear it on those strange, ear-covering devices called headphones. The words were foreign, unfamiliar, and Sango could not even begin to replicate them. Still, the melody itself was addicting, and she hummed it to herself as she briskly walked along, trying to find a stream or river of some kind.

As she walked, the sound of rushing water overcame her own voice. Pausing in mid step, she listened to it, trying to find its origin.

' Inuyasha did say there was supposed to be a river around here…' She thought to herself as she strode from the foliage. Walking quickly, she came round a corner and found her water source.

A magnificent waterfall towered above her, spilling its contents over an overhang of sharp rocks, and ending in a splashing rain over smoother rocks at its base. The spray from the water moistened her face and she couldn't help but smile. It was perfect! The water may be cool, but she was a taijiya, what did she care for the temperature when she had gone for days without bathing? (Something she tried not to think about.) Smiling and resuming her humming, she began to strip in her place, first placing Hiraikotsu gently to the ground. Her blue scarf, containing her poison shielding mask, slipped to the ground, followed closely by her green wrap cloth. She was just undoing the tie of her pink kimono when there was a gasp and the sound of things being dropped reached her ears.

She whipped around, pulling her kimono close to her body out of a natural urge to protect her modesty, and came face to face with a young villager.

" Please, don't kill me!" He screamed, his face tinged pink even as he turned from her. " I swear, Maiden, I saw nothing, I was merely gathering firewood and I came to the pool to quench my thirst and saw your lovely form and-"

" What on Earth are you talking about?" Sango asked, unable to keep the blush from tinting her cheeks at the words 'lovely form'. The stuttering man stopped, and looked more fully at her. Sango was struck by his piercing blue eyes, so unlike any of the other eyes she saw everyday. His black hair tumbled into them gracefully, and, quite unexpectedly, she found herself thinking what a handsome man he was. Immediately, though, her face flushed at the thought.

" You…You mean you are not a celestial maiden form heaven, come to bathe in this spring?" The man asked in disbelief.

" No." Sango said in surprise. " Why would you think that?"

" I thought there could be no other explanation." The man turned bright red. " You are so beautiful…" He trailed off, averting his eyes, and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

" I'm not beautiful!" Sango said quickly, hiking the kimono up higher on her body as it began to slip down.

" Yes, you are!" The stranger's head shoot up and his eyes looked into hers earnestly, before he realized what he said, and turned away, blushing once more. " I-I mean…my, this is awkward."

" Then let's make it less awkward." Sango said gentle, trying to stop the fluttering of her heart. It had sped up rapidly as the man insisted on her beauty, and now refused to slow down again. How was it that a few innocently made comments could make her feel so flustered?

" My name is Sango." She smiled, holding the kimono firmly in place on her body. Oink still just barely grazing his cheeks, the man smiled as well.

" I am honoured to make your acquaintance, Sango. My name is Sagi."

>

In the secluded corner of her room, Kanna sat smirking at her mirror.

The white demon, bored with nothing to do, had playfully picked up her mirror, and toyed with it to see just what it would show her. And she was rather pleased with the results. Her little toy began to show her scenes of Kagome, and all the young miko's high jinx.

The girl was not as sweet and innocent as Inuyasha liked to believe. She was devious and conniving as any demon may one day hope to be. She was a wonderful actress, tricking Inuyasha like that, and Kanna had to admit it, she was impressed. Never before had any mortal won her approval like that. Kanna, though coveting their ability to feel, had little love for humans, who destroyed and took far too much from the Earth. But this mortal, this little human who possessed the spiritual powers that could be her end, was by far the most fascinating creature she had ever met.

She sat by the mirror for hours, watching all the little details of Kagome it showed her. She smirked to herself as a plan took root in her mind. Perhaps Kagome could play a part in her-

Hello, what was this?

Her black eyes widened at the sight before her.

Smirking once more, Kanna fixated her eyes at her mirror, as it showed her Inuyasha's enraged face as he stared down Moeru-shi…

>

Inuyasha wasn't mad.

No, no of course not.

He was furious beyond all rational reason.

" Oh, hello." The fire demon's calm tone and casual mannerisms infuriated the hanyou. Had this abrupt creature no idea of what he was dealing with? Didn't he know that with one well-placed swing of Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha could obliterate this guy? Apparently, the fire demon knew nothing. So it was up to the red clad halfling to teach him a few things.

" I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting yet." Behind him, Kagome gave a tiny snort of amusement, quite different from her normal, tinkling laugh. " I'm Moeru-shi."

" I don't give a damn what your name is." Inuyasha snarled through clenched teeth. " Nobody touches Kagome like that and gets away with it!"

Without waiting for the fire demon's response, Inuyasha darted forward, swing his massive fang swiftly out before him. The intruder, a mild look of surprise on his face, merely sidestepped the sword, the wind off the blade making his bangs dance. Inuyasha, now filled with a rage he didn't know existed until now, lunged forward once more, swinging Tetsusaiga out in front sloppily, desperate to hit the fireling. He had no such luck.

Moeru-shi, despite his calm manner, proved to be good in a fight. He dodged with relative ease, ducking under and around the blade and looking all the while as though it were merely a nuisance.

" Stand and fight, you bastard!" Inuyasha snarled, furious and irrational. This demon had touched Kagome. Touched her in ways Kagome should never be touched. He had come upon them, entangled and intertwined, too wrapped up in each other to notice much else. The sight of Kagome willingly caught up in another man's arms and he plundered her virgin mouth, the sound of her loud throaty moans that were broken versions of another man's name, it was too much, far too much. He had sprung forward, and torn the demon from her. As he had yanked her form behind his for protection, he had been treated to the sight of a very happy, very aroused, very thoroughly kissed Kagome, her lips red and swollen, her cheeks flushed and pink, and her breathing ragged and laboured. For a wild moment, he had been viciously aroused by the sight of her, her entire aura that of a woman ready to be taken. His demon had awoken with a jolt and howled with insane lust, and he had used all his will power not to throw her to the ground and have her right there.

Then he recalled why she was in that state, and his near untamed fury came rushing back.

He swung once more, barely even nicking the black haori decorated with flames, not unlike the ones that cautious danced around the trio. Moeru-shi took a great leap over the stunned hanyou, and landed beside the rather ravished Kagome, who looked up at him in neither fear nor alarm.

" It seems your guardian doesn't want to share you." The fire demon said playfully, but with a dark glint in his eyes. " Such a shame. But I can see why. You're very beautiful, my little Kagome."

He wrapped and uninvited arm around her waist and pulled her close, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Inuyasha's face flushed in rage as he saw the angry red mark that rose up on her pale skin. That hadn't been there yesterday.

" Such a lovely thing." Moeru-shi murmured against her skin. " And so responsive." He licked the column of Kagome's throat, and was rewarded with her strangled gasp for air as a moan tore from her throat. Inuyasha saw red.

" Get the fucking hell away from her!" He screamed, his eyes shifting from gold to red for the briefest of moments. The demon in him shrieked and howled, clawing desperately to get out, because someone was touching their mate, their beautiful, precious mate! Tearing forward like a mad man, Inuyasha reached for a Kagome, but she was yanked back with the demon as he jumped.

" Come now Inuyasha, surely you won't mind if I keep her for just a little while?" The demon taunted. " I mean, from what I've heard she's just your shard detector."

For the briefest of instants, Kagome's brown eyes clouded over in pain, and Inuyasha felt his heart begin to tear up.

" So that's what this is about, huh?" He smirked. " You want her to find the shards for you!"

He saw Kagome's face pale, and smiled sadly inwardly.

' He doesn't love you Kagome, he loves your powers! He'll hurt you, not like me. He'll abandon you once he has what he wants, but I wouldn't do that, never!'

" Wrong, my dear hanyou. I have no need for the Shikon no kakera." The fireling's grip tightened on Kagome's waist, and he turned from the dog to stare into her eyes, so passionately and lovingly that Inuyasha began to snarl with a murderous intent.

" All I want is this woman. All I want is Kagome. Why chase after pretty little shards when I have such a beautiful gem right here?" He darted forward and pressed his lips softly against hers, and Inuyasha's vision bled into crimson.

" GET AWAY FROM HER!" He snarled violently, dropping Tetsusaiga and darting forward, his claws held out and his intent deadly. He forgot about fighting styles, he forgot about his sword, he forgot his own name. All he knew was that there was someone touching what was his…

…and there would be Hell to pay.

>

Never, in all her seventeen year, had Kagome known such tenderness as when Moeru-shi made his declaration, and then pressed his lips to hers. Her entire body seized up under his lips, and all the world ceased to exist. All there was, all there could ever be was him, and her, and the sickeningly wonderful feeling of the fire on her skin.

She trembled as he cupped her chin with his rough, calloused hand. The fire underneath them blazed and shook with her, and she was irresistibly reminded of it. The addiction, the sweet, terrifying addiction to the dancing columns of heat flooded up into her blood, burning just beneath her skin. The warm, tantalizing taste of burnt cedar she had come to associate with Moeru-shi ensnared her senses, and she found herself quite unable to think or speak or do much anything, besides breathe and sink deeper and deeper into this feeling.

She had always cherished the flames, always. They were like a drug for her, a terrifying and hot drug that just kept coming back and coming back until she couldn't live without them. Beneath her façade of sweetness and kindness, her obsessions burned and blazed and took her over from the inside out, and she found her way to express those fiery urges in Moeru-shi, whose very touch set her aflame. The raw, untamed passion with which he kissed, held and spoke to her made him just as addicting as the fires she so longingly wanted to set free.

He was as much in her blood as the flames.

But this new way he held her, it scared her worse than anything. It was as though he was reaching down and tenderly caressing her maimed and mutilated soul, stroking it and trying to piece it back together. The softness with which he claimed her lips with his was unlike anything she had ever experienced, save for the long off embraces of her father, half-forgot in a hazy memory.

Their bodies warm and so close she could feel the heat off his skin she trembled in fear, in anxiety, in anticipation. Inuyasha dissolved away to nothing; the world vanished into a hollow void, because all that matter was the raw emotion pouring from his soul through his lips and into hers. The stirrings of attraction she felt for Inuyasha paled and shriveled up in comparison to the shaking of her body and the yearning in her soul that Moeru-shi invoked with one simple kiss.

" _Kagome_." He whispered against her lips.

" Well, isn't this a pleasant picture?" A cold, hard voice asked, the tone sickeningly amused. Kagome flew from Moeru-shi's lips, to stare into the cruel red eyes of her nemesis.

" Inuyasha, Kagome, how nice it is to see you both again." Naraku said with a smirk, taking in the scene before him. His eyes darted up from the raging Inuyasha, to the flustered and confused Kagome, and finally upon the stunned fire demon, whose burning coal eyes darkened with shame.

And Kagome felt herself go numb with disbelief and agony and Naraku smiled coldly down at her and gestured to the man who had been kissing her so sweetly only seconds before.

" I trust you've met my latest incarnation, Moeru-shi?"

A single, crystalline tear ran down Kagome's cheek before her vision bled to scarlet and all she knew was the roar of the flames.

>

So, there we go. I hope you all like it, and review. Adn cookies to who can tell me what Sagi's name means. And here's a preview of the next chapter:

_The flames spun faster adn faster around her body. She twisted and turned her form, seeking any familiar shape in the ever twisting heat cyclone that surrounded her, but her efforts were in vain, for the flames gave no hint to the outside world, save for the distant voices that called her name._

_Faster now, nothing but a blur of reds and oranges and heat, blazing burning heat. It swallowed her up, her mind and body no match for the power of the ragged fires which held her captive. Her breath was short and her expression wild, unable to choose between terror and ecstasy at her fiery prison. Gulping in the feverish air, she parted her plush lips and threw back her head._

_" Help me." she murmured to the spinning flames. " Help me beat them."_

_Curling around her outstretched arms, the fires ate at her white shirt, dissolving it to mere shreds that clung to her ample body. She laughed, wildly and insanely, as the flames dug deeper and deeper into her skin, until they were in her, twisting and dancing inside her blood. She ran her long fingers down her body, trembling in anticipation at the feel of the heat that radiated from her skin._

_" Are you mine?" She asked the dancing fires. " Do you belong to me?"_

_Her only answer was the roar of the fire as it blazed up, higher and higher until she was sure it could devour the world in its heated wave. The inferno lurched and dove for her,and she stood still, waiting for it. The raw heat, raw power, raw feel of an untamed force of nature onher skin sent her intopassionate throws, her breath shallow and the strangle cries of her delight hoarse. The infernobroke over her like awave over the shores, and she felt it, felt it in ways she didn't know possible, dive into her skin and merge with her blood._

_" Is thisParadise?"She asked, her face flushed and her eyes dilated andfeverishly alive._

_The only answer she was given was the flashing image of blazing, bright coal-red eyes_.

Look for chapter 12- Temptress in the Flames, coming soon!

MoS


	13. Temptress in the Flames

Hey everyone. Remember what I said about 'with any luck, it'll be up tomorrow.'? Well, luck didn't like me. My stupid compy wouldn't let me save the chapter. So I had to retype it. Something about something being invalid, or such. I wasn't really paying attention after: Cannot Save. Stupid piece of machinery! Anywho, here is the version retyped after my compy _finally_ let me save. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Story Plot's mine, O.C.'s are mine, but the actual plot of _Inuyasha_ and the characters involved? Nope, not since the last time I checked.

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**Inferno**

_The more you fight it, the brighter it burns._

Chapter 12: Temptress in the Flames

From her position high above the battlefield, the kimono-clad wind witch smirked.

Kagura lazed on her giant feather, fan held loosely in her hand, as she watched the events unfold. If truth were to be told, there were a host of other things she would rather be doing than watching Moeru-shi and Kagome shove their tongues down each other's throats.

Bored and sullen, Kagura twisted her head away from the sight as the fireling slide his hand up Kagome's leg, and the girl responded, not bother to keep her voice down.

'_Have you no restraint?_" Kagura thought in displeasure. Her lips curled in disgust, the wind witch refused to turn back and subject herself to the scene below. Unlike so many (coughMirokucough), it was not her custom to go around watching couples make love to each other's lips. There was no trace of a pervert in her, and she was damn proud!

Tapping the tip of her prized fan against the slope between her lower lip and chin, she hummed a broken melody to herself. There was little she could do to pass the time, as her latest 'assignment' was to watch over Moeru-shi and his exploits until Naraku arrived, the bastard. So what could she do? She was bound to the deceptive hanyou, unable to escape so long as he held her heart…

Out of the blue, she felt her thoughts drift to her ane-ue. Kanna's soft-spoken whispers and impassive glances had…differed today, some how, livelier than usual. Of course, this was Kanna, who wouldn't know lively if it walked up and slapped her clean across the face. But something had changed, Kagura was sure of it.

As she floated beside the clouds, Kagura allowed herself to fall back against the feather with a sigh. It was so boring! She wanted to fight, to release some pent up energy, move, damnit! But no, she was confined here, above two hormonal teenagers who had little or no qualms about expressing said hormones down below her, and some of those sounds were getting hard to block o-

" GET AWAY FROM HER!"

…

Okay, what the HELL had she missed?

>

" No!" The figure screamed as she leaned over the enchanted water. Her fingers gripped the sides of the glowing bowl, her knuckles white from the pressure. The ethereal water was spun into the image of the black haired girl, her red haired kisser, the golden eyes protector, and a new face, with burning red eyes and wave after wave of black hair tumbling seductively around his face and body. The pelt of a baboon, snowy white, hung coyly off his shoulder, baring a peek of his well-formed chest. The girl leaned closer to the image, her eyes hidden beneath her black hood. But her voice was so shrill and so stunned; the concealed eyes must have been wide and the pupils small.

" This is bad!" She shouted as she ripped herself away from the picture. " Oh, this is very bad! This is the worst thing that could've happened!"

As she stormed across the room, hands waving erratically in the air, the picture faded as a single, growing ripple danced over the surface. The water was once again choppy, shifting in the bowl of its own accord, glowing ever so softly. It splashed at once as the girl pivoted at the opposite wall, and began to pace. But she froze, as though she were made of ice, at the sight of the water's splash.

" What's wrong? What's WRONG?" She shrieked, her voice shrill with disbelief. " Are you _blind_ or something!" She threw her hands up into the air once more. " I mean, _hullo_, she just found out about him! My God, _he's_ there, telling her everything, and you ask _what's wrong_?" Screaming in frustration, she turned and proceeded to throw herself on the green covered bed, still shrieking into a pillow she grabbed. The water splashed up once more.

" You 'onf seephm wots wong." She said incredulously. She raised her hand to stare with a deadpanned expression at the shining bowl, which sat innocently at her window. " You honestly don't see what's wrong." The water flicked up ever so slightly, an almost human gesture that resembled a shrug. The girl's head dropped once more, with a low, aggravated sigh.

" What, did I get the discount enchanted water?" She asked wearily even as the water began to spin and leap up in anger, nearly splashing onto the carpet.

" Watch it." She hissed. " I just had the carpet redone after last time, so don't you go messing it up again." The water ceased to splash up over the edges of the bowl, but the rapid spinning motions continued, as if it was waiting for something to happen.

" Look." The girl muttered tiredly as she pulled herself off her bed. " It's just bad, okay?" She began to shuffle around the room, searching for some obscure object in the mess. " She doesn't realize what she's doing. If she stays there, then she'll set it into motion, and you know what that means."

She turned to the water, what little of her face shown grim and frightened.

" Hell on Earth."

The water spun even faster, slowing creeping up from the center of the bowl in a twisting length, reminiscent of a cyclone. The girl paid it no mind as she searched. Abruptly, in the corner of the room opposite of the bowl, she found what she was looking for: an old pack of cards, worn and well used. Grinning at finally having some good luck, she darted over to the corner as proceeded to pluck the deck of cards from their resting place. She glanced over at the center of the room hopefully, only to frown when she found it in complete disarray, clothes and books strewn about in no particular fashion or order. Sighing heavily, she dragged her feet over to the mess, kicking objects from her path as she went, determined to make a spot where her carpeted floor was visible.

Fifteen minutes and many piles of old Metallica t-shirts with the arms cut off later, she sat in a surprisingly clean circle on the floor, cross-legged, the deck of cards placed before her. Taking a deep breath, she reached a trembling hand forward, and took them out.

Without bothering to glance at the contents, she took the cards and began to furiously shuffle, sliding the paper-thin objects in and out of her hands with practiced ease. She turned the cards over and around, sliding them to and fro, but never loosing one. Finally, as the last card slipped perfectly into place on the top of the deck, she placed them on the carpet before her.

She sat there for a moment, concentrating on a face, a question. Then she reached a trembling hand forward and picked up the first card.

The Page of Cups.

A gentle and loving person, emotionally vulnerable.

Reversed Meaning: Someone who lives in a dream world, a manipulator of others.

The perfect card for her.

Sighing in defeat, she lay the card down at the top of the circle, to represent the individual she was reading for.

' _It never fails to amaze me, how they manage to find the perfect cards._' She sighed once again, and leaned forward to pick up another card.

The Fool Reversed.

Folly, madness. Not thinking before you rush into a situation.

The Moon.

Deception and trickery. Do not be too trusting, for the path is full of lies and trickery

The Seven of Swords.

Dishonesty. Lies and deception are all around. A love affair may go bad.

The Three of Pentacles.

The Three of Cups.

The Three of Wands.

Three threes of the Minor Arcana.

Deceit, changeable circumstances.

She was caught up in a web of lies that she didn't even realize was there. Her own deception paled in comparison to the things that were going on in the background, half hidden by shadows. In many ways, she was just as naïve and clueless as the mask she presented to the world, and it made the girl clutching the cards very afraid and sad.

Muttering several unpleasant invitations to the kami above her, she re-collected the cards and set to shuffling again, determined to put a ripple in Fate at all costs.

All this, while the water steadily rose from the bowl, glowing and pulsating, spinning into a funnel. But the girl never looked up.

" To me." She whispered, her head bent over she shuffling.

The water leapt away from the confines of the bowl, swirling and twisting like a wild beast as it shot towards her form. Before it touched even a hair on her head, the water sprung off, turning over and over again until it was like a circle around her bent head, a huge, mock halo, that glowed blue.

" C'mon." She muttered, as she shuffling grew more frenzied. With each flipped of a card, the water spun faster and faster around her, glowing and pulsating stronger and stronger, until the room, the girl, and the water itself, was lost to vision because of the burning, blinding white light.

_ >_

_The flames spun faster and faster around her body. She twisted and turned her form, seeking any familiar shape in the ever twisting heat cyclone that surrounded her, but her efforts were in vain, for the flames gave no hint to the outside world, save for the distant voices that called her name._

_Faster now, nothing but a blur of reds and oranges and heat, blazing burning heat. It swallowed her up, her mind and body no match for the power of the ragged fires which held her captive. Her breath was short and her expression wild, unable to choose between terror and ecstasy at her fiery prison. Gulping in the feverish air, she parted her plush lips and threw back her head._

_" Help me." she murmured to the spinning flames. " Help me beat them."_

_Curling around her outstretched arms, the fires ate at her white shirt, dissolving it to mere shreds that clung to her ample body. She laughed, wildly and insanely, as the flames dug deeper and deeper into her skin, until they were in her, twisting and dancing inside her blood. She ran her long fingers down her body, trembling in anticipation at the feel of the heat that radiated from her skin._

_" Are you mine?" She asked the dancing fires. " Do you belong to me?"_

_Her only answer was the roar of the fire as it blazed up, higher and higher until she was sure it could devour the world in its heated wave. The inferno lurched and dove for her, and she stood still, waiting for it. The raw heat, raw power, raw feel of an untamed force of nature on her skin sent her into passionate throws, her breath shallow and the strangle cries of her delight hoarse. The inferno broke over her like a wave over the shores, and she felt it, felt it in ways she didn't know possible, dive into her skin and merge with her blood._

_" Is this Paradise?" She asked, her face flushed and her eyes dilated and feverishly alive._

_The only answer she was given was the flashing image of blazing, bright coal-red eyes_.

>

" Well, Inuyasha, I take it Moeru-shi's origins came as a bit of a shock to dear Kagome." Naraku said pleasantly, his ruby eyes trained on Kagome's prone form as it lay cradled in the fireling's arms. Moeru-shi brushed a stray lock of hair from her cheek, his burning coal eyes dark with worry and shame. Gently, he ran his calloused and burn covered hand over the soft flesh of her cheek, caressing it lovingly as he stared at her closed eyelids, willing them to open.

" Don't touch her!" Inuyasha's furious voice cut through his daze. Moeru-shi looked up to meet the livid golden eyes of the inu hanyou. Inuyasha stood in front of Naraku, his stance tense, his voice rough, and the gleam of scarlet in those gold orbs. Faint, barely visible jagged purple lines flickered on his skin, gone as soon as they appeared.

' _Is he loosing control?_' The fire youkai thought as his burning coal eyes widened slightly. He had heard of the dormant youkai blood that lay sleeping within Inuyasha. That each time he transformed, the hanyou lost more of his humanity, snuck deeper and deeper into dark desires, became more and more of a mindless, shameless killing beast. He knew what Inuyasha was capable of in that state of mind. Truth be told, Moeru-shi knew that he himself would not stand a chance against the enraged hanyou. But right now, none of that was his concern. He was worried about Kagome.

" I'll touch her as much as I want." He replied coolly, leaning down to stroke her face once more. She looked so pale, so fragile, and it was all he could do not to gather her up in his arms.

' _What are you hiding, my little Kagome_' He asked himself softly. '_What are you hiding from **me**?_'

" Oh no you won't!" Inuyasha snarled, readying himself to launch full out at the fire demon. Cracking his knuckles as he flexed his claws, he brought one foot back to push off against the ground, but the voice of his archenemy stopped him.

" My, my, you _have_ grown attached, haven't you, Moeru-shi?" Naraku asked in a sickeningly amused tone. He surveyed the two, his eyes wandering over Kagome in a way that had Moeru-shi pulling her closer to him, as if to protect the miko from the bastard's gaze. Creator or not, the fireling did _not_ like the way that Naraku was looking at Kagome, as though she was the first meal he had seen in months. Despite his efforts, Naraku merely laughed.

" Yes, quite attached." The dark hanyou smirked. " Tell you what, when we destroy Inuyasha's little band, we can leave the wench alive." His gaze suddenly became predatory, hungry, his hooded eyes gleaming with something that looked frighteningly like lust to Moeru-shi. " She should prove…entertaining."

" Over my dead body will you touch Kagome!" Inuyasha snarl in fury as he leapt at Naraku, Tetsusaiga in hand. While Naraku had feasted his eyes on the young girl of the future, Moeru-shi had noticed, to his charigin and amazingly his relief, Inuyasha dart over to retrieve his sword.

Picking Kagome up bridle style and straightening himself, Moeru-shi moved away from the battlefield, fearing for the maiden in his arms.

>

Inuyasha, half blinded by anger, tore forward, swinging Tetsusaiga out like a club. He launched himself at Naraku's pelt clad form, seven kinds of murder in his gold eyes. He had seen the way Naraku had looked at Kagome. He had seen the hunger and want in the other halfling's eyes. At that sight of not only Moeru-shi's soft caresses, but Naraku's primal lust, his mind whirled into a spiral and hatred and blood lust, Tetsusaiga being all that kept the demon in him from rising up and fully taking control of the hanyou's mind and body.

He swung the sword at Naraku, who dodged the fang-forged blade with ease. With each missed swing, Inuyasha grew more and more frustrated, his vision going blurry as his anger took over, his attempts to hit Naraku becoming more and more erratic and sloppy. Snarling in barely repress fury, the inu hanyou shot the blade up the air, the swirling of the wind around the blade the only warning to Naraku of what was to come.

" KAZE NO KI-"

" I think not, Inuyasha." Naraku smirked, and turned his gaze upwards.

" Dance of the Dragon!" A feminine voice shouted from somewhere above him, and he barely had time to dodge before a twister came shooting down towards him. He stumbled back, barely registering the force of the wind on his body.

" Damn it all to Hell." The hanyou cursed quietly. " He brought Kagura with him."

" You aren't happy to see me?" Kagura's voice came from behind him, her tone a mock hurt voice. He had only just whipped around to face her when the wind witch released a second attack.

" Dance of Blades!" She snarled, bringing her fan down in an arc pattern. Inuyasha jumped high to avoid the spinning crescents that lashed out at him. He was suspended in the air for an instant, looking down at the black haired maiden, before Kagura looked up and he saw a cruel glint in her ruby eyes.

" Can't escape me that easily." She hissed as she cocked her fan almost lazily. AS she drew the winds to her for another attack, Inuyasha felt her power weaken, and saw the winds collide with the demonic aura she emitted. Knowing it may be his only chance, the inu hanyou acted with a swiftness many did not know him to possess.

" KAZE NO KIZU!" He shouted and swung Tetsusaiga down at the meeting of the wind and the youki. With a satisfying smirk, he saw Kagura look of horror right before the blast of the fabled Wind Scar blotted her out.

Inuyasha landed a few meters away, watching the light of his attack die down. He never noticed the figure sneaking up behind him.

All of a sudden, tentacles wrapped around his torso and neck, cutting off his air supply. He struggled and fought back, choking and gasping for breath. But to no avail, for Naraku's grip was too tight.

" Very well done, Inuyasha. You managed to catch Kagura off guard. I'm impressed." Inuyasha could almost see Naraku's smirk, as the tentacles around him constricted.

" You bast-" A sharp squeeze cut him off.

" Uh uh!" Naraku tutting mockingly. " Language, Inuyasha. There _is_ a lady present. Although, at the moment she's unconscious, in the arms of my incarnation." Inuyasha's breathe caught in his throat. Naraku chuckled.

" You don't like that?" He whispered softly into Inuyasha's ear. " You don't like the thought of sweet little Kagome in Moeru-shi's arms?" Inuyasha's struggles grew greater, clawing uselessly at the appendage that held him hostage.

" Then what about my arms, Inuyasha?" Naraku's voice turned devastatingly silky, and Inuyasha's mixed blood froze at the words.

" Wh-What?" He gasped.

" You heard me, Inuyasha." Naraku said softly, his voice rich and deadly. " Imagine Kagome in my arms. Does that make you feel any better."

" St-stay away fr-from h-her." The hanyou choked out, trying to force the image from his mind.

" I can't do that." Naraku murmured. " She's just too tantalizing of a puzzle to pass up."

" What?" Inuyasha spat out in total confusion. Behind him, he heard Naraku chortle darkly.

" You're honestly falling for it." The wicked hanyou said, a smirk in his voice. " You really believe that's what she's like."

Inuyasha dug his claws in the tentacle and pulled hard, freeing himself. He collapsed to the ground, his back to Naraku, gasping and panting fro breath.

" Wh-what… are y-you…ta-talking a-about!" He snarled, whipping around to face the smirking monster.

" You think you know her, don't you Inuyasha?" Naraku's red eyes gleamed as he reared back, appendages streaming out from under his baboon cloak. " That's so sad."

Naraku sprang towards the downed hanyou, murder in his eyes and his stance ready to kill the unprepared Inuyasha.

" When in reality you know nothing about her."

Inuyasha's eyes widened and he reached down for Tetsusaiga.

" _You know nothing about me."_

He froze as her words came back to him.

What had she meant that day, when she was acting so different form herself? What was it about her that had changed so drastically, so fast? What did Naraku know about Kagome, _his_ Kagome, that Inuyasha himself did not know?

So deep in his thoughts, Inuyasha didn't realize Naraku was there until a tentacle shot out and pierced his shoulder. Blood splurted from the wound, and Inuyasha let out a howl of pain, dropping his sword once more. Naraku hovered above him, clearly enjoying Inuyasha's pain.

" Poor Inuyasha. You've let your emotions get the better of you again." He pulled back an arm, morphed at the end into a point sharp enough to pierce flesh.

" Die."

And then there was a flash of scarlet and orange light, and heat racing towards them, before a fireball shot over, connecting with Naraku's side and dispersing over his skin, burning all it came into contact with. Naraku shot away from Inuyasha, tearing his tentacle form the hanyou's shoulder. Hissing in pain, Naraku touched the raw, burned flesh of his side, and looked up.

" You filthily conniving little bitch!"

Inuyasha, as well, looked up, and felt his jaw drop at the sight before him.

There, against the back drop of his forest, her dark hair dancing in the wind and her skirt whipping around her legs stood Kagome, her brown eyes blank and flashing; they were fixed on Naraku, her expression grim, and her left hand out stretched before her, glowing as a second fireball began to form in its palm.

" Leave Inuyasha alone."

>

Okay, I'm done, and I'm tired, goodnight, everybody!

MoS

P.S.- please, tell me what you think. Oh, and does anyone know what 'Dance of Blades' and 'Dance of the Dragon' are in Japanese? I can't remember. It would be great if someone could tell me, pretty please? Oh, and so far, only one person has gotten cookies for telling me what 'Sagi' means!


	14. Burning Hearts

Well, hey there, everybody!I hope you're all ready for the next chapter of 'Inferno'!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Inferno**

_The more you fight it, the bright it burns._

Chapter 14: Burning Hearts

It was like having the fire pour through her very _veins_!

Every fiber of her being was alive and awake and burning. Each breath she took caused her to inhale sweet smoke, that curled around inside her and danced through her until her mind was hot and hazy, and all she could see were blurry images of the dancing flames that she so loved. Her throat was scorched from the fires and her brown eyes were blank and dark. She wasn't their Kagome anymore, oh no. She was herself, she was who she was meant to be, she was KAGOME, for the first time in years. Her fears and anger vanished as if burned away, and all she knew was the roar of the flame and the scarlet dancing before her vision.

' More.' Her mind murmured, dangerously fuzzy and unfocused. ' More, oh please, Kami, more!'

She was addicted, intoxicated, and unbelievably aroused as the fire flew at her request, dancing faster and faster until it wasn't even a separate entity anymore, until it was _her_! It was inside of her, all over her, all-consuming and she was loosing her mind to it. But she didn't give a damn, because this was Paradise in her blank eyes.

But why now? Why here? What was the reason that now, of all times, that this tsunami of an inferno had come to her aid, why not other times when she called for it? What was so special about this time-

" _I trust you've met my latest incarnation, Moeru-shi?"_

It was pain. Brutal, unthinkable, damn near unbearable pain.

Each breath was another stab at her heart, which beat with a dull, aching thud. Her entire being seized up in a spasm of horror.

Liar.

Liar!

LIAR!

It felt like she was being torn up from the inside out, like the pain was slowly manifesting itself as knives in her organs. She gripped herself tightly, trying not to scream, not to loose herself as her mind teetered dangerously close to the edge.

Liar, liar LIAR!

Rage, hot and thick, bled from her trembling form into the fires around her. The ribbons of heat fed off the emotion, growing stronger, hotter, dancing faster inside her now until the pain was burned away and all that remain was the hard, burning rage.

LiarliarliarliarLIAR!

For the first time since that fateful encounter with the bully, Kagome Higurashi felt the urge to kill.

He'd tricked her, the bastard, he'd made her think that he was her savior, the ONE goddmannit! When all this time, all the kisses and half whispered secrets and torn and maimed innocence, he had been working for her enemy! He'd made her believe that there was maybe some hope, her made her think there was a chance for her! He'd made her believe in herself, for God's sake! And it was all a lie, every kiss, every secret, every half mumbled declaration he'd given her in between swift lips and questioning tongues. It was a lie! He'd hurt her, hurt her all over again, just when she was getting over Inuyasha, just when she thought she could let go of her false savior, it all turned out to be a lie, a deception.

Just when she had thought she could love him…

>

Miroku tore through the forest, his pace steady but his breathing anything but calm.

He'd lost her, goddamnnit, he'd lost her!

Sango was good, he'd give her that. She was crafty and tricky, and he was suddenly very glad she was on their side, and not Naraku's. Though the above should have told him that Sango was capable of looking after herself, it only made Miroku more determined to find her.

He couldn't explain why he followed her. He'd done it before and he'd do it again, because it was probably the closest thing he could get to 'alone time' as Kagome called it, with her. Miroku followed Sango because the temptation to was just too great. Following the woman you wanted more than anything in this world or the next, into a thick, dense green forest, where the sunlight made uneven patterns on tan skin where it shifted in through the foliage above, and made those hazel eyes sparkle and glimmer, and cast shadows off well developed curves…

How could her not follow?

She was like a wood nymph, a sprite, the daughter of a demi-god who roamed the country-side at will and did as she pleased. Miroku had long since discovered how enchanting Sango looked when she went on her walks, when he followed her the first time.

_Flash_

_The demon had been tough. A bear youkai of sorts, a great grizzly with long claws and sharp teeth. Of course, neither had faired well against Sango, who knew of such demons and had defeated them before. True, the Tetsusaiga may have ended the battle much quicker, but the wielder was off sulking by a well, waiting for a time traveler to return, though it was most likely he would grow impatient, and dive down after her himself, when no one was watching. So the slayer, the monk, and the fox kit were left to fend for themselves. The bear came upon them, thinking it had found easy prey, and attacked. It just hadn't counted on a taijiya being there. The youkai had been toast before it knew what had happened._

_Mrioku mumbled a few prayers to help the departed soul on its way and turned around, only to notice Sango, still garbed in her taijiya wear walking slowly off into the forest, a wistful expression on her face. Muttering about the idiocies of women and their need to disrupt everything, he took off after he, determined to bring her back. _

_He lost her for a moment, but caught a flash of pink through the trees and followed it. What he came upon he did not expect._

_Sango was twirling about through the tree, giggling like a little girl and enjoying nature. The sun, through the leaves overhead, danced in her hair and made it sparkle. Her eyes were alive as he had never before seen them, and her cheeks were rosy, as though sakura in full bloom had been captured and painted upon them. She was a creature of nature and sunlight and gentle breezes, and she stole the breath of the watching monk away._

' _Kami.' He thought. ' Imagine waking up to that every morning.'_

_Flash_

He fell in love with her that instant, he knew. Never had his heart gone so fast, never had his breath been so hard to catch. He had fallen so utterly, so dangerously, so devisatingly in love with the warrior woman, he was surprised he didn't tumble over his own feet. Since that day on, he followed her on her walks, if only to catch a glimpse of her enchanting pleasure of nature that made his knees go weak.

But now he had lost her, and the blind panic only a man in love can feel over the object of his affections was settling in, and he was lost as to what to do.

Then he felt it.

Like a wave breaking over rocks, he felt a surge of power descend upon the forest, eminating from a point farther off to the west. The power radiated over him, and swept passed in a rolling wave of heat and the scent of burning wood and something hard and broken. It left him, Miroku, kneeling on the forest floor, trembling and frightened. Whatever it was, it was strong, and it was deadly. With a jolt, he felt and recognized the under current power, soft and kind, and purifying. His eyes wide and his heartbeat erratic, he took off like a streak of purple through the forest.

' Kagome!'

>

He could do nothing but stare.

She should have been unconscious, fallen on the ground, huddle up in his arms as he kept her from the clash of the halflings, not even near the waking world.

But she stood, tall and proud, fire dancing hi her hands and her eyes.

He had never witnessed anything so beautiful in all his life.

She had sprung from his arms where he was going to lay her, eyes flashing crimson and her dark hair whipping about her face in a wind that wasn't there. She took one look at the battle field, and catch sight of her red clad friend encased in the clutches of his creator. Then, with a calm she shouldn't have had, with a flash of rage in those brown eyes that turned them red once more, she raised her hand. He had watched, in anticipation and wonder, as the center of her palm began to glow. It glowed, growing brighter and brighter and shifted, dancing over her skin, dancing out from _within_ her very flesh. And then it grew red, and orange, and gold, and then it was _fire_.

And she released it upon Naraku, scorching his side and turning it black.

Her expression did not change as the wounded baboon turned to her and spat discouraging words. Her only response was the beginnings of a second fireball and her warning.

" Leave Inuyasha alone."

Moeru-shi sat, stunned beyond speech, staring at his little miko. She was alive, burning and awake as he had never seen her. Her very aura tingled with heat, her very skin seemed to glow with the fires he dared to predict were under her skin. She stood against the backdrop of a blue sky, her eyes hard and sparking and her very being commanding the flames. He felt short of breath as he stared at her.

" Kago-" He began, but she walked forward, ignoring him.

" Leave, Naraku." She hissed, her voice dangerously low. Her burning eyes were focused solely upon her enemy and his prey, her tone promising a painful death should the with fur covered hanyou oppose her. He looked at her with red eyes, calculating and surprised.

" Well, well." Naraku said, his tone almost delighted. " Looks like poor helpless Kagome isn't so helpless after all."

He barely dodged the second fireball, and was struck in the shoulder by the third.

Hissing and cringing, Naraku brought a hand up to touch the now tender and pink charred flesh, flinching when he ran his hand along it. He looked up at her, and Moeru-shi saw a flicker of something akin to pride dance through Naraku's eyes.

' You can't have her!' The fireling thought desperately. ' You can't have her!'

" I thought I was a conniving little bitch." Kagome's voice was cold and hard, her expression grim.

" A mere slip of the tongue." Naraku whispered as he looked at Kagome, his tone lathered in dark lust. " I apologize for such vulgar language before a lady like you."

He bowed mockingly, never once taking those red eyes from her form, garbed in the short skirt and now half charred white sweater that exposed her stomach and long arms. She was perfect, a goddess sent to earth and Moeru-shi found himself unable to take his gaze from her even as she stared down Naraku.

" I told you to leave." She snarled, another fireball forming in her palm. Naraku fell into another mocking bow, his voice oily when he next spoke. But his red eyes burned as hers did, and he locked gazes with her. Moeru-shi saw, with revulsion, the desperate, hard wanting in those red orbs.

" As milady commands."

And he was gone.

Kagome sank gently to her knees with a sigh of relief, those fireballs clearly having put a huge strain on her. Moeru-shi tentavely stepped forward to help her up, but jumped back in alarm when she whipped around to face him, flames in her hand and her eyes as cold as ice.

" Leave, Moeru-shi. Before I decide you're too dangerous of an enemy to live."

Moeru-shi looked in her eyes, all hard and cold. It might have been a trick of the light, but he swore he saw tears glittering in those brown orbs, and the heart broken look she had given him when they first met only a few days ago rose up once more. He felt himself tremble, and leaned forward to brush a stray strand of hair from her face. She backed away from the touch, pale and shaking.

" Kagome…" He whispered and saw her whole form shake with a violent tremor. She averted her eyes, which displayed her heartbreak to him, to stare at the ground. Then, in the smallest voice he had ever heard, she whispered her request.

" Stop breaking my heart. Leave."

He vanished in a whirl of flames, seeing the hanyou run up to catch her as she fell away in a dead faint, her last sight his own burning coal eyes.

' Kagome…'

' You're breaking my heart too.'

>

Breathing hard she collapsed to the floor, sweat shining on her face and the room around her in complete disarray. The cards she had so carefully lay out in midst of the shuffling were scattered all about, one stuck in the nick of her bed post, two feet from the ground. Other lay around her, some even just floating down to settle on her prone form as it lay motionless. One could have mistaken her for dead, had it not been for the steady rise and fall of her chest beneath the black hoodie. What little of her face showed was pale and sweating, her cheeks, what could be seen, flushed and rosy with effort. Her legs were tangled behind her, and it seemed she had no energy left to move.

The glowing water spun rapidly, trying to catch her attention.

With a groan of pain, she slowly raised her head to see the water jumping up over the edge of the bowl to get to her. Her vision was blurry and she swept in front of them, knocking the hoodie from her head. Auburn hair tumbled down over her shoulders in wavy strands, and she forced herself to sit up.

" What is it?" She croaked, her voice hoarse. The water jumped up high, touch the ceiling of her room.

" What?" She asked once more, breathing heavily. Knowing she must look in the bowl to see, she placed her hands out in front of her and proceeded to drag herself over to the window.

" Damn water." She cursed beneath her breath. " What the hell are you thinking, making me move like this after an alteration like that." With a massive effort, she pulled herself to a kneeling position before the bowl and looked into it.

" You know it zaps my strength to do that." She tilted her head in the direction of the clearing in the room, then flinched and dropped her head, clearly in pain. The water only flicked up impatiently.

" You'd think…" She paused, and looked down at the water in disdain, prepared to scream at it, " …that you of all…er…things would realize how much this takes outta me." Hear she paused to cough into her hand, and winced when she pulled back.

" Great, better not do that in front of Mom." She muttered, looking at her blood stained palm. Finally, the water shot up and slapped her on the cheek, causing her head to twist to the right.

" Oh, you're his creation alright." She snarled, but looked down into the bowl. "What is it?"

The water spun quickly, shifting into the image of the black haired girl being carried into a hut by the red clad boy. She scowled.

" When I said I didn't want her near the fireling, I didn't mean the Protector should be sent in!"

Swearing violently, she pushed away from the widow and stood up shakily. Stumbling and half blinded by her bangs falling into her eyes and sticking to her skin, she managed to trip and walk over to her bed, where she promptly collapsed from pure exhaustion and fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

All the while, The Tower was clutched in her left hand.

Separation.

Just not the way she had wanted.

>

Well, there's another chapter done. I'm really tired, so I have nothign to say except I have a really good chapter planned for chapter 15, so be ready. R&R, please.

MoS


	15. Glowing Embers

Well, here is _Chapter_ 14, I really hope you all enjoy it. And my first estimation of 20 chapters is now wrong. I think this fic will be between 25 and 30, possibly more.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Inferno**

_The more you fight it, the brighter it burns,_

Chapter 14: Glowing Embers

She awoke in darkness. Her eyes opened slowly, grudgingly, because there was something inside of her, something way deep down, that didn't want to wake up. It wanted to stay asleep forever, stay in calm, quiet, painless slumber where the horrors of reality couldn't touch her and she could live in her fantasies forever. Because reality just hurt too much. It tore her up into shreds, ripped her apart layer by layer, until all there was left was her fragile, mutilated core. Until all that remained was the broken, half dead little girl who had watched her own father march out of her life, and allowed herself to be swayed by the hypnotic dancing flames. Yes, she wanted to sleep forever. But her chocolate eyes started to open of their own accord, and soon she was staring at the roof of a hut, hard wood floors pressing on her back. Still half asleep, she tried desperately to make sense of her surrounds. Kaede's hut? But why would she be there? How-

" _Stop breaking my heart."_

She sat straight up, a strangled gasp escaping her as the pain broke fresh over her now trembling form. Her eyes were fixated on a lump in the blanket that covered her, but she didn't see it. All she saw were burning coal eyes and red/orange hair and black hakamas with flames on them. Her earth-hued orbs grew blank and cold as she struggled for breath. But it caught in her throat, choking and hard as a solid object. She coughed violently, her vision going blurry as his eyes looked at her. The contents of her stomach, those pizza slices she and Tarot had shared, churned and somersaulted in her gut, until she felt them rise up in a rush. Kicking the blanket form her now conscious form, Kagome scrambled from the floor to the hut entrance, desperation in her eyes. She flung herself against the bushes of the siding and knelt over, emptying her stomach with fearful intensity. After the bought of nausea had passed and she had wretched for a few moments, she leaned backwards, away from the contents of the bush, breathing hard through her mouth. She dare not swallow, but crawled back to the hut in search of some form of water, her legs just to wobbly and unstable to support her form. Her chest still heaving from her vomiting fit, the distraught girl dug in the yellow bag that rested in one corner, yanking out a bottle of water. She twisted herself in a cross-legged position and gulped the liquid, rinsing out her mouth and throat, her trembling finally coming to and end. After a moment or two, she pulled the bottle back, whipping her now wet upper lip on her sleeve.

" Okay Kagome." She said quietly to herself. " Get a grip. You have to calm down and figure this out."

Achingly slowly, she began to picture him in her mind. Tall, well defined features. That red and orange hair that was poised at a jaunty angle, all spikes and waving in the breeze so that it looked like real fire that was blowing in a passing wind. Next, his face. Oh Kami-sama, his face. That high forehead, and that sloping, perfectly molded nose. And well-defined cheekbones and those, rounded lips that always looked slightly puckered, as though he was constantly being kissed. And of course, his burning coal eyes, all red as blood and roses. They sparked whenever he looked at her and she felt herself melt just thinking about them…

Oh Lord, there went her stomach again!

She gripped her abdomen, hoping the warmth that radiated from her arm would somehow soothe the churning ache that had settled in when she began to think of Moeru-

Her stomach flipped clean over and she dry wretched for a few seconds, feeling blood run from her head and come trickling down her body. Her vision went white for a moment, before the world righted itself and she was once again in a corner of Kaede's hut, breathing like she a had just run a marathon and trying to keep whatever was left in her stomach right where it was. She coughed lightly as saliva caught in her throat, but she was fine otherwise.

Slowly taking in her breath she shuddered. She couldn't think of him, his eyes or his name, or the way his mouth just seemed to fit into the curve of hers and his body felt all hard and rough beneath her fingertips…

" God damn stomach." She snarled as another spell of nausea swept over her.

…without feeling so sick that she was dizzy just from the symptoms.

" Get a grip Kagome!" She said to herself, her voice getting louder and higher as each word fell from her still kiss-swollen lips. " I mean, c'mon, he was just a guy! Just one fuckin' guy! So…so what if he was fire! Plenty of guys are…are…are…I mean, oh, just screw it all!"

With a vicious fury, she threw the water bottle with all the force she could muster at the opposite wall, her anger and frustration giving her a sudden boost. The bottle flew across the hut, sailing through the air with a whizzing noise. It collided with the wall with a 'thunk' and a 'splash' as the water remaining in it exploded over the edge and stained the wall, ever after the bottle slid to the floor. She sat there, breathing hard and trying not to loose control of her emotions, even as an image of flickering flames devouring his form danced before her eyes.

" God damn asshole!" She swore violently, stumbling slightly as she got to her feet. She needed to get out, get away from here, this place. She needed quiet and solitude, which she could never find, not in this place that was so near to the well, which brought thoughts of him bubbling up to the surface. Home was out of the question; her mother was probably still seething over the Tarot thing, and that was not something she could deal with right now. With a reckless kind of understanding, she walked toward the flap that served as a door and was out of the hut, her mind fuzzy and unfocused in contrast to her blank, sharp eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, she turned in the direction of the plains facing the village. God help her, but she needed release. She took off running, a streak of green, white and black through the night, the stars her only witness.

Or so she thought.

>

From her place in a corner of her room, Kanna watched in mild fascination as Kagome took off running, her pace and speed much greater than would have been expected from one who had been out of it for three days.

Kanna was not a creature who concerned herself with the doings of others, showing little to no concern about those who were neither herself nor her sister. But she had watched Kagome's progress over the last three days with interest, judging the miko on her ability. For three days, the black haired teen had lay in a comatose state, unresponsive save for a few shiftings in her slumber. Kanna monitored her whenever the white clad girl-woman could find time. Her half-formed thoughts of Kagome's role in the down fall of Naraku seeped in and out of her now occasional dreams, and she watched the girl for any hint that the mirror maid was right to believe the miko was the key. The vicious display of temper and fire that she had just displayed not only proved Kanna right, but it also provided a rare entertainment, which was not often found in the castle of Naraku. The wicked man's sense of humor did not extend to his incarnations, Kanna in particular. After all, how could one who did not feel find amusement in anything, let alone the suffering of others?

She rolled her black eyes, a trait she had begun to pick up from her younger sister. Kagura was notorious for showing her annoyance in non-verbal forms, such as eye rolls, and the tapping of her slipper clad foot on whatever surface she was standing upon. Kanna, much to her surprise, after gaining her own emotions, found herself mimicking the wind mage. The mirror maid has no idea how she was supposed to use and expressed these strange feelings that came to her now, so her turned to the only source that would not be her down fall. Secretly, she practiced smiling and sighing sometimes, when she was sure she was alone. It was, dare she say it, fun, seeing how much more pleasant her white face became when she let her lips curl into a soft smile. But it turned alluring when she placed a coy smile upon them, and wicked when a cold, superior, down right cruel twist of her lips came into play. She decided, long ago, that the very last time Naraku looked upon her, the night of his defeat, as he lay helpless at her feet, realizing too late that his perfect ally had betrayed him, she would smile at him like that, mirroring his own cold smirk when he saw his little schemes unfold through her prized tool.

' This is what you look like.' She would say, her voice soft as ever. ' This is the face I've been forced to endure since the moment I was old enough to hold the mirror. It's not a pretty face, is it, Naraku? No, it's wicked and cruel and makes you look like the Devil. It shows you for what you really are: manipulative and unforgiving and deserving of this punishment. Where are your tricks now, Master? What ploy will you pull to get out of this one? You can't, can you? No, you've finally been out done, trapped and taken down. Does it hurt Master? Does it hurt to know that, all this time, I've been with them? I've been trying to help them? No, of course it doesn't hurt. To hurt you need a heart. You don't. You're Naraku. And I hate you. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.'

Yes, she would stand over him and tell him of her hatred, over and over again, until her voice was hoarse, and her throat was sore, and then she could picture Kagome walking up behind her, brown eyes burning and hair tumbling like waves in a breeze. She'd reach over, with a slender hand and softly touch Naraku's face, gently caress his cheek and for one moment, he'd know tenderness, he'd know what it would've been like if he had capture this girl and forced her to be at his side constantly. And then she would look at him with sparking eyes, and he would say her name softly, because, Kanna smirked, he must be one of the only ones who realized she was _Kagome_, not _Kikyo_, and she would smile gently at him.

' This is for everyone you've hurt.' The miko would say. And then her hand would glow purple, or maybe silver pink. Or even a blazing crimson. And the purifying power of a holy and unmarred soul would course through him, ripping him apart. And then, in his last moment alive, he would see her black eyes light up with joy at his end, and he would finally understand.

" There is no power in the world," Kanna murmured unheard words to Kagome's running image in the mirror, " than that of raw, untamed human emotion. And in raw, untamed human emotion, there is none stronger than boundless human love."

Gently, she brought a white finger to caress the running image of the miko.

' You're heart, however broken and maimed, is your greatest strength, Kagome-chan.' Kana thought to herself in the dim light of the moon. ' Don't turn your back on it. Otouto hurt you, yes, but in the end…'

Kanna concentrated on blanking the mirror and her mind as she felt the horribly familiar pull of Naraku's will. _Master_ wanted her. She stood up slowly, purposefully making her journey through the shadows silent and unnoticed.

' …in the end, you two belong to one another.'

She reached the door of Naraku's room. She needn't knock as a dark voice from within beckon her to enter.

' Fire attracts fire, after all.'

>

Exhausted and sweaty, Kagome tumbled onto the soft grass beneath her. Her unexpected run had taken her from the relative center of the village to the sloppy grass hill that surrounded it on one side, leading into the forest at an angle.

She was out of breath and tired, and her muscles ached, but it was a good, tired ache, one of well-worked legs and sweet relief. Her fury and anger had dissipated as she had torn over the countryside, her mind wonderfully blank as she emptied it. Her chest now heaved up and down swiftly as she lay there, on her stomach. Her nostrils were invaded with the sweet scent of crushed grass, her hair and rushing ebon against the emerald of the vegetation beneath her. With a slight moan, she rolled over to face the sky, her breath stopping for an instant as she caught sight of the thousands of glittering stars that danced above her. It never failed to amaze her, the sky at night around here. She envied Inuyasha and the others for this. Sure, she had TV, and running water and all those perks, but she would have traded it all for a view like this. Breathing in the scent of Sengoku Jidai at night, Kagome felt her eyelids begin to droop. Kami, she was so tired…

" Oi, don't you go to sleep on me wench, you've been asleep for three days!"

Cue her own personal moment ruiner.

Groaning in protest at her little time of reflection, Kagome rolled over onto her side to avoid seeing her favourite hanyou's approach.

" Inuyasha, has anyone ever told you that your timing absolutely sucks?" She asked waspishly, body rigid with annoyance. If Inuyasha noticed, he made no reference to it, which was surprisingly tactful. Her brown eyes widened. Had she just accused Inuyasha of being tactful! No way in Hell! He probably just hadn't notice she was in no mood to deal with his bitching.

" W-Well, Kikyo once but…" He trailed off, clearly worried he had offended her by mentioning his dead lover's name. Kagome snorted. She was crazy, not sensitive.

" Well, to her." She said, almost seeing his stunned expression. " At least I'm not the only one who noticed." Smirking after his shocked silence, she rolled over to see his face darkening already. There was going to be no further stalling.

' Let's see…' Kagome pondered as she watched Inuyasha swell up in preparation for one of his lectures. ' He'll start with the ever classic: We need to talk.'

" We need to talk." Inuyasha said curtly and despite herself, had to fight to keep her face neutral and not burst into the fit of giggles that threatened to bubble up.

' Called it!' She thought with mirth and a smile must have escaped onto her face, because the dog boys scowled deepened and his golden eyes flashed dangerously.

" This is no time to be smiling! This is serious!" He snarled violently as her and her amused manner dropped immediately.

" I don't wanna talk about it." She said quietly but coldly. The mere thought of discussing it, brining up all those memories of him and her and those kisses…It all made her feel sick and wobbly and used. No way she was reliving that.

" I don't give a damn if you do or don't!" Inuyasha growled at her, his tone dangerous and promising trouble should she refuse to cooperate. But he wasn't the only one seated on the hilltop who was in a dangerous mood.

" Ex-_cuse_ me!" Kagome asked, her voice frosty and biting. If he had been in a more rational mood, he may have noted how different her voice sounded from her usual hot anger. But he was too blinded by the rage of seeing her with another man, she supposed. But, in the end, it didn't matter. Her mask was almost shattered beyond repair and she was too tired to event think about putting it back up. Right now, with the pain so fresh in her mind, she couldn't be bothered. She just couldn't.

" You heard what I said, wench, I want an explanation!"

" About what!"

She had crossed the line, but for some reason, it felt fun, winding him up like this. She knew it was wrong and twisted, but damnit! She was a bad girl at heart and she had to be true to that, even if it was just this once.

" About wha-!" Inuyasha sputtered, going red. " About that fucking Moeru-shi that's what! You've got some serious explaining to do! What the Hell were you thinking!"

" I was thinking he was a good kisser with a hot body and a sexy voice!" She screamed back, her fury taking reign over her actions.

' For the love of-! I can take car of myself, dog-boy! I've been doing it longer than you realize!'

" You what!" Inuyasha almost shrieked, jealousy and something akin to blind rage danced in those golden orbs. It should have been taken as a warning sign by the girl in front of him, but all the blood was rushing to her head and she couldn't think straight.

" You heard me!" She screamed.

" You irresponsible little-" Whatever insult he was about to say was cut off by he shout.

" Oh, like you're one to talk!"

" What's that supposed too mean!"

" You're a selfish, immature prick, that's what!"

" I'm a what!"

" Oh, why do I even bother! You are just so...so…ugh, there isn't a word strong enough for people like you!"

" Like you're perfect! You're loud and bratty and you're completely useless!"

" I'll show you useless, jackass!" She screamed and, with the strength only fury could give her, she slapped him hard across the cheek. His head snapped to the side, a thin trickle of blood escaping his lips. As his head finally righted itself, he put a hand on his stinging and bruising cheek, something she could distinguish flashing through his eyes.

A second later she was sprawled on the ground, flat on her back, her own cheek stinging from where is clawed hand met her skin. Partially stunned, she ran a hand over her flesh, and trembled slightly when she felt something slick and warm meet her fingers. She yanked them back in front of her eyes, gasping in fear when she saw they had been stained red.

" You…you made me bleed…" She whispered in disbelief, turning to look at him. He was staring at her in shock, his hand still poised where it was when it connected with her skin. He kept looking between his hand, and her face, gaping at his now red coloured claws.

" Kagome…I…you…" He stuttered, unable to form a sentence. He just kept looking at her, his eyes burning with remorse. Kagome, however, felt herself overcome the shock. She sat up, looking at him with nine kinds of murder in her eyes.

" You friggin' sonova-"

But Inuyasha had stopped paying attention to her. His gaze was fixated high in the sky at her left, his eyes distant and longing. He unsteadily got to his feet, and walked away, leaving an open mouthed Kagome in his wake.

" We'll talk when I get back." He muttered before he took off, following the flying bug creature. Kagome sat, unmoving, for a moment before it all sunk in.

" You crappy goddamn bastard sonovabitch!" She screamed after his red clad form as it vanished into the trees.

' He ditched me!' She though incredulously. ' He slaps me, and then he goes running off to Kikyo! It's not like I expect him to stay and confess his love or anything, but he could have apologized at the very least!'

She went on fuming, finally letting out a scream of frustration.

" That's it!" She snarled to herself. " The nest time Koga comes around, I am so throwing myself at him! I mean, what kind of friggin' friend is he! That...that...that…"

She trailed off however, as a pale, snake-like youkai floated up to her, sliding and curling around her arm.

" Don't you belong to Kikyo?" She asked, and the creature, which seemed to understand her, bobbed its head up and down. It gave a tug on her arm, as if to try and lead her in a direction and she was struck by an odd thought.

" Kikyo…Kikyo wants to see me, doesn't she?" She asked as the creature led her into the forest. She saw the head bob once more, and, to her utter shock, calmed down.

" Okay then, lead the way my snaky friend."

>

I apologize if the ending seems rushed, but it's one in the morning, and I am tired. So, R&R please, and I'll get Chap. 15: Ashes to Ashes up as soon as I can.

MoS


	16. Ashes to Ashes

Konban wa, minna-san! I hope everybody is read for the next Chapter of Inferno.I made it a bit longer, because you guys have been really patient, and I am so grateful for that. I seem to have trouble getting inspired, so when I do, I write as much as I can until my fingers get sore. So here we go!

Disclaimer: I own the actual storyline, as in the concept, as well as a few O.C.'s.Other than that, I have no claim of ownership

**Inferno**

_The more you fight it, the brighter it burns._

He caught her scent by pure instinct.

He had long ago claimed to have fallen in love with her, and so her scent was both familiar to and beloved by him. He knew it without having to think about it, because the moment that heavenly aroma invaded his senses he could almost feel her soft figure pressed to him once more as he claimed her as his own. He knew her scent better than he knew the scents of some of his pack, and so he knew that it was blood that tainted it.

He had been taking a run. It was something he often did, leaving his domain up in the Northern Mountains to come down and hunt for Naraku, so he could avenge his fallen pack mates as well as present the bastard's head on a platter to Kagome. Ever so often, during these runs, he would catch her scent and come tearing after it, delighted at the chance to see his woman again. This time, however, he stood frozen, unthinking and cold, as the reality set in.

Kagome was bleeding.

And not the monthly, expected bleedings that woman had that made them very frightening to be around, but blood from a wound, a mark on her beautiful, flawless skin.

Koga's ice blue eyes narrowed dangerously.

" I'll kill him!" The wolf prince snarled as he stood still, fist thrust up towards the darkening sky. Unnoticed behind him, Ginta, Hakkaku, and several wolves had come stumbling up, breathing hard and half dead from exhaustion. They collapsed to the ground, their faces rosy and shining with sweat. Barely mustering the energy, Ginta reached up to grasp the end of Koga's fur skirt.

" K-Koga!" He gasped, sounding like a man upon his deathbed. " C-Can we t-take a-a br-br-break?" He rasped out in between pants, Hakkaku nodding feverently beside him, unable to communicate outside of body language for his lack of breath. Koga glanced down at them, his blue eyes alive and burning under the half moon.

" Smell the air." He whispered, his voice a deadly calm. There was something in those azure orbs, something dangerous, something Ginta did not think he could stand against. Cautiously, he raised his head a fraction of an inch and sniffed.

There was nothing out of the ordinary. The scents of the night, of lush green leaves and burning wood for a fire and perhaps a bird in flight or two, but nothing special. Ginta often took the night shifts back at the dens and had grown accustom to the fragrances that the night gave off. So now he found that, though he could tell the scents of the campfires humans created and the fresh rice, nothing jumped out at him as strange. And he opened his mouth to tell his prince just so when he caught it.

It was a peculiar scent. The sharp, metallic tang it left within his nose marked it as blood right away, but there was something else. A hint of flowers, roses set alight perhaps, and the gentle under current of wind whipped hair. And, mixing it all together, he smelled the singe of purifying power, the unmistakable scent of someone who had let go an arrow surrounded by the deadly purple or pink glow that could destroy youkai like him.

Ginta knew that scent.

He'd know it anywhere.

" Nee-chan!" He shouted, vaguely registering that Hakkaku had shouted at the same time as he. " Kagome-nee-chan! She's bleeding!"

Ginta gazed up at Koga in horror. Though her time with their pack had been brief, the spunky, kind, and selfless human had gained their respect and won their hearts over. Throughout the pack, many wolves spoke of the strange, but beautiful and useful ningen girl Koga had laid claim over when he had kidnapped her to aid them in their struggle against the vicious demon bird tribe. Many wolves recalled her selfless act of sending the kitsune child she had brought with her to safety, forfeiting her chance at escape. Many of the youkai had changed their opinions of Kagome, and now awaited with eager anticipation for the day that Koga would bring her to their den as his wife. So it was as though one of their own pack was bleeding as they caught the scent of her blood, panic rising up in their throats.

" And what do you smell around it?" Koga asked in the same voice, his pupils slitted in a feral display. " The scent of a dog! "

Hakkaku gave a gurgle behind them that may have been a choked gasp of disgust.

" Inuyasha's hurt her." The look in Koga's eyes became one of unmitigated rage. " He's hurt her. Hurt her and left her alone in the forest."

Koga's breaths came out in fast puffs, growing more rapid with each word, until his breathing turned erratic and his face contorted in a killing fury.

" I WILL KILL INUYASHA!" The wolf prince howled in fury as he whipped around and sped off in a twister, the only trace of his being there the dirt he kicked up with his cyclone. His two friends, still catching their breath, watched him run off, grim looks on their faces.

" You know, normally, I'd get mad at him for running off like that." Hakkaku began, gazing after Koga with an expression of dark understanding. " But this time…" he trailed off, taking another whiff of the air and grimacing.

" Yeah, I know what you mean." Ginta murmured, shuddering slightly. He turned to gaze at the three wolves they had brought with them, all of whom looked confused and weary, not quite comprehending what had occurred.

" Inuyasha hurt Kagome-nee-chan." Ginta said swiftly in a flurry of growls and yips, knowing the canines would understand. The eldest, Shima, looked at him with wide eyes before her face too, contorted with rage. She remembered the strangely attired human whom Koga-sama had brought. The human had smelled funny, but had found this one spot behind Shima's ear that the wolf had not known existed and had scratched it for a good long while. Snarling, Shima darted forward, her energy restored. Ginta looked after her, his breathing finally regular again.

" Let's go, Hakkaku." The other wolf demon nodded, and then smirked.

" If we hurry, we may get there in time to land a few punches before Koga rips the hanyou apart."

A startlingly cold look flashed up into Ginta's eyes and he nodded, taking off at a quick jog.

" Yeah, I wanna get at least one good punch in on that bastard for Kagome-nee-chan."

>

" Itai!" Kagome hissed angrily as she gingerly poked a finger to her scarred cheek. Her actions were rewarded with a swift stinging sensation from her skin that made her eyes water and one screw up shut. Wincing, she pulled the finger back, only to see it was dyed red. She let out a sigh of aggravation.

" When is the damn thing going to stop bleeding!" She snarled angrily, more annoyed then hurt. In front of her, the snake like soul collector twisted itself around another bend in the road and she followed, only half aware of her demonic guide. The silence around her was deafening and she wanted nothing more than to have a companion to talk to. Insane she may be, but intrapersonal she was not. To have gone this long without any kind of conversation or even a voice other than her own was slowly putting her in a dark, unpleasant place that she certainly did not want to be. Grasping at the only other option available to her, she took a deep breath and opened her mouth.

" Hey, Snakey, how bad am I bleeding?" Her tone was casual and she half expected the creature to roll its eyes at her and keep going. So she was nothing if not stunned when the soul collector turned right around and looked at her, squinting its eyes to gaze at her cheek. She stood there, transfixed as the youkai floated up to her, making a strange cooing noise as it did. Gently, like the brush of a butterfly's wing on a flower, the snake-like demon reached one of the bug-like legs that hung beneath it's face and stroked her torn flesh, with the softness of a mother. Yelping, Kagome jumped back, staring in disbelief at the youkai.

" Did… did you just…" she trailed off as the demon curled around her arm once more, and pulled her forward, cooing delightedly.

" We close?" Kagome ventured, not the least bit surprised when the youkai bobbed its head up and down to show the affirmative. " So…am I in trouble with Kikyo?" She asked suddenly, not really understanding where the question came from. " I mean, I haven't done something stupid and offended her, have I? Because with her, I can never really tell. I mean, she has on hell of a poker face, let me tell you…"

" And what, pray tell, is a poker face?" A cool, clip, emotionless voice asked from behind her.

Kagome, unprepared and lost in her own thoughts, did the only thing that seemed logical at the time.

She let out a loud yelp and jumped several feet in the air, landing with a distinct 'thump' on her backside on the ground.

" Shimatta!" She cursed angrily, rubbing her by now bruised tailbone. The soul collector that had brought her to Kikyo flew over and hovered about in what seemed to be concern, watching the younger girl's movements with extreme care.

" It seems Hikaru likes you." Kikyo said emotionlessly, the tiniest twitch of the corner of her mouth being all that betrayed her amusement. Kagome looked over her shoulder at the miko.

" You _named_ it?" She asked, disbelievingly. Kikyo glanced at her, puzzled.

" I named them all." The dead maiden answered, her voice cold and baring an 'end of conversation' tone. Kagome, however, blinked several times, before looking down at the ground as she righted herself.

" You have _way_ too much time on your hands." She muttered under her breath. And then slapped her hands on her mouth, discreetly forcing up her cracking mask. " I-I mean, that is so cute!"

" You don't have to play games with me Kagome."

Said girl's head shot up to look into cold brown eyes that may have once been as bright as the ones painted upon her mask. The frozen, unfeeling face that she looked into mirrored her own, in structure and feel. But her skin was tanned from so many hard days out under the sun in summer; her hair was wild and so wavy it seemed curly, while Kikyo's hung straight and perfectly done about her face, bangs cut neatly above her eyes. Kagome eyed it in silent envy.

' If I have ever hated anything about Kikyo, it's how manageable her hair must be.' The girl thought to herself, her musings becoming much more random as her mask, however unconsciously, slid from her face. But she caught it quickly, just as a smirk was about to make its way onto her face. She froze her body before it could lean on the nearby tree, one hip curving outwards in the same position that had so stumped and frightened Inuyasha. The lazy, flippantly toned question that almost escaped her lips died in her throat as she tried desperately to shove her mask back on, praying Kikyo had noticed no different.

" W-What on earth are you talking about, Kikyo?" She asked in the most sugary, wholesome tone she could manage. Inwardly, she gagged, disgusted. Kikyo raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

" There's no need for that." The miko stated. " I am well aware of your…shall we say likes?"

_Crack._

She could almost see the piece of her mask slip, revealing her twisted nature.

" I honestly have no idea what you're talking about, Kikyo." She said innocently. But her incarnation, as it seemed, was as stubborn as she.

" Kagome, I told you not to play games with me. We shared that body once. Our souls are bond together for they are one. Do you honestly believe you can fool _me_?"

_Crack. Crack._

She did see them this time, she swore she did. Pieces of a carefully crafted mask, molded into the image of a laughing, bright-eyed young girl slid from her face, plummeting to the ground and smashing into a hundred thousand pieces on the grass and rock below. Kikyo's cool brown eyes stared into her, into her true eyes, blank and devoid of sanity. For the briefest of seconds, Kagome thought she saw something akin to pity dance in the undead shrine maiden's eyes.

" Do you honestly believe you can fool _yourself_?"

The mask slipped into her waiting fingers.

>

Humming quietly to herself in the dense shrubbery, Sango plucked up a purple flower and stuck it in her hair, content for the smell to calm her as she set about the task of help Kaede-sama gather herbs for Kagome. Three days her sister figure had lain immobile and asleep, and by now, Sango was beginning to worry. She had come late to the battle, arriving just in time to see a frantic and bewildered Inuyasha carrying an unconscious Kagome into the hut of the village miko. Everyone was in such a state of panic and alarm (herself included), no one had had the time to inquire as to her whereabouts at the time of the battle.

And for that she was grateful.

_Flash_

" _Sagi?" Sango questioned in surprise, looking at the blue-eyed man who had called her beautiful. His gaze dowturned and his cheeks still tinged pink, he was the very picture of an innocent farm boy, unaccustom to the company of females and charmingly unknowing of how to behave. The innocent manner in which he averted his eyes to her unclothed form endeared her to him immediately._

' _He's the complete opposite of Miroku.' The taijiya mused as she shuffled about, trying to gather her attire. Sagi, still staring bashfully at the ground, must have caught sight of her movement for her jumped up and grabbed her blue scarf, handing it to her with a sweet smile._

" _Allow me, Sango-san." He murmured, still not looking at her. " I-I mean," He stuttered, clearly embarrass, and Sango mentally found herself cooing at him, " it's the least I can do for interrupting your b-bath." He fumbled on the last word, the blush on his cheek deepening, and Sango, so unused to being treated as, well, a woman, gratefully took the scarf._

" _I'm going to go over there and change." She said, pointing to a clump of high bushes to the right. Sagi nodded._

" _I'll be going then, Sango-san."_

" _No!" She almost shouted, catching his arm and letting her kimono slip down to reveal a tanned shoulder. The blue eyes man (boy, really) gasped and shut his eyes tight, his face blazing like the setting sun. _

" _I mean, I'd like it if you stayed. I'll only be a minute." She let go of his arm and dove behind the bushes, hurriedly throwing on her clothes, fearful that he may leave. She could not explain the reason she felt such a need to keep him there, but she supposed it stemmed from being treated like a girl, instead of a warrior._

_To her relief, Sagi stood there, back turned to her bushes when she emerged. As she walked over to him, she found herself, unconsciously, comparing him to Miroku, stunned by the differences between the two men. Sagi yelped when she touched his shoulder, his blush still present. Sango smiled._

" _I don't c-care what you say, S-Sango-san." He stuttered sweetly. " Y-You **are** beautiful enough to be a celestial maiden from Heaven."_

" _Arigato." Sango murmured. " And please, call me Sango-chan." Both turned pink and the familiarity. " There's only one person who calls me Sango-san." She thought briefly of her brother, but wiped it from her mind. Now was not a time for sad thoughts. " And your name…Sagi…"_

_Here, he smiled.  
_

" _There's a funny story behind that, Sango-sa…I mean, Sango-chan." Again, he blushed. " Would you like to hear it?"_

" _Yes please." Sango said happily._

" _Well, " Sagi began, " the women in my family are widely known for bearing daughters. My mother herself was the seventh daughter of my grandmother, and had not brothers or uncles. When she became with child, all the family, that is to say my aunts and their daughters, came to see her, expecting another girl in the family. Well, imagine their shock when, instead of the niece they were all expecting, out comes me, a baby boy. Six generations with nothing but girls, and then all of a sudden, my mothers brings in the first boy in centuries. Well, at the sight of me, my grandmother insisted that I must be a fraud, a deception, because no women in our family had given birth to a son in over two centuries. So, I was given the name Sagi, because no one could believe that I was real."_

_The two burst into hearty laughter, Sango feeling more light hearted than she had in weeks. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sagi smile softly at her giggling form, and felt a warmth spread up in her chest._

' _H really is very sweet.' She thought as Sagi launched into a story of his childhood on a rice farm, filled with mischief and boyhood games. _

' _And such beautiful eyes.'_

_Flash_

Sango had enjoyed her time with Sagi so much that they made arrangements to meet later, tomorrow night, in fact. Sagi reminded Sango of the joy and hope that still remained in this world, the things she had lost sight of on the long, hard road she was traveling. She knew she should feel guilty about running off to have fun with a friend while the others were worrying about Naraku and fussing over Kagome. But the stress of the little miko's spell, and the strain of Miroku's constant flirting with other women made her feel worn and tired and in need of some laughter, which Sagi provided.

She was grateful that not even Miroku had had time to ask her where she had been, because she had a sneaking suspicion that he would not be please to find she had been with a man.

'Well, _he's_ one to talk.' Sango thought huffily as she gathered the herbs up in her arms. ' I mean, he runs off at the first sight of a pretty women, regardless of what's going on! So what if I'm spending time with my friend, who just happens to be a man! Sagi makes me laugh and he calms me down and he treats me like a girl, like I'm a woman, not just a traveling companion.' Sango huffed as she carried her load.

' I thin I like it. I think I like being treated like that.'

She entered the village, treading quietly as to not awaken any of the slumbering villagers.

' For the first time in a long while, I feel like a woman.'

>

The hanyou tread through the forest, his foot falls light on the dirt carpet of the cluster of trees that bore his name. His silver hair was whipped about his back by the passing wind, whistling through the night. The molten gold of his eyes burned with confusion and puzzlement. The triangular dog-ears that rested atop his head flicked this way and that, trying desperately to catch the sound of hakamas on the dirt, or the shifting of a long sleeved haori. His nose twitched as he took in the scents around him, desperately searching for a whiff of ash and bones and graveyard soil. But none came to him and the inu hanyou paused in the middle of his forest. His handsome face twisted in confusion.

" But I coulda sworn that I smelt her here…" He raised a clawed hand to scratch his head, uncomprehending of the situation around him. He had darted away, leaving Kagome alone on the hilltop, to chase after the soul collectors he knew would lead him to Kikyo. The snake-like youkai had lead him on a roundabout chase through trees, over streams, around bushes, until he felt as though they were leading him through the entire forest. He had finally lost the youkai around several tricky turns, and now was wandering about the woods, seeking any hint of Kikyo. Her scent, a piece of cloth, a pile of dust that was once a youkai, _anything_. But so far, he had come up empty-handed, finding nothing to prove that Kikyo was even here. Frustrated, he punched a tree to his left, leaving a hole through the center.

He just _had_ to find her, to explain and apologize. The last time he had seen her, his time with his love had been cut short, by him of all people. The moment she had uttered to fateful words, the moment he had heard that that scum Moeru-shi was looking for Kagome, his demon had roared to life and he had sped from Kikyo's side to go chasing after her reincarnation.

He shuddered to think of how it must've looked to her.

He had gone tearing from her, _from her_, to find Kagome, the girl (not woman, no, Kagome was _not_ a woman by any standards!) that Kikyo had accused him of caring for! From her point of view, it must've looked like he cared more for Kagome that he did for his love, which was insane. Kagome was…well, she was…his shard detector, he supposed. But it stung to think of her like that. She was his best friend, of course, but he could never really explain that to Kikyo. Hell, he couldn't explain it to himself.

' Yeah, well some friend she was tonight!' He growled in his mind, picturing the hilltop. ' I mean, I can't believe her! "About what!' He ground his teeth. ' How dare she treat me like that, after all the shit I've been through to protect her, the useless brat!'

" _I'll show you useless, jackass!"_

Her voice, laced with rage and echoing with fury, shot through his head as he instinctively cupped his cheek. The pain had gone away, but the bruising on his ego had not altered in the least.

" Yeah, well." He muttered quietly to himself, a dark look in his eyes. " I got her back good."

_Slap!_

_The sound of a hand connecting with a cheek._

' I got her back good.'

_Splash._

_The tiny sound of a liquid splaying up from torn flesh._

'I got her back good…'

_Thud._

_The dull sound of a body hitting the ground as it went tumbling backwards from the blow._

' I got her back…good…'

" You…you made me bleed…" 

'I-I got her…back good?'

" Kagome…I…you…" 

' Got her back good…got her back good…'

" You…you made me bleed…" 

'…Got her back good…'

" You…you made me bleed…" 

Slowly, agonizingly slowly, he raised his clawed hand to his face, his golden eyes fixated upon his claws.

"_...you made me bleed…"_

Claws that were now stained red, which was beginning to dry to brown, caking on his nails.

"…_made me bleed…"_

He trembled violently as he brought the bloodstained claw to his nose, her voice echoing in his mind even as he willed it not to be her scent mixed in with the blood.

" …_made me bleed…"_

He took a slow, painful whiff.

"…_made me bleed…"_

…

" …_made me bleed…"_

He couldn't think.

It was impossible.

He would never, ever harm her. Not like this. Not with his own claws!

"…_made me **bleed**…"_

There was just no way, even with the scent. It couldn't be, it just _couldn't be!_

"…_made **me** bleed…"_

He…he had promised to protect her! He had said he'd keep her safe from any harm that threatened her! So this, this, was totally illogical! Completely and utterly wrong. It wasn't happening, it _couldn't_ be happening!

" …_made **me bleed**…"_

There was just no way that Kagome's blood was on his claws.

" …_**made me bleed**…"_

His demon rose up, howling furiously about how he had harmed their mate! Harmed her, cut her, bleed her on his claws. He threw his hands up over his ears to block the noise and then just as quickly retracted them. The blood on his claws, **_Kagome's blood_**, he didn't want that on him.

But it was already on him, wasn't it?

Weren't his claws soaked in her blood?

Wasn't his hand stained red with her life giving fluid?

Hadn't her forgotten his promise and torn at her flesh, ripping it apart into shreds without a care?

Wasn't Kagome's blood on his claws! 

" …_made me bleed…"_

" _**You**…**you** made me bleed…"_

The howl of anguish the rose up over the trees echoed on under the stars, startling several birds into flight, and frightening a wary villager or two. But Inuyasha, lost in self-loathing and denial, paid no mind.

" _You…**you made me bleed**…_

_ >_

Hah! that's what you get when you mess with Kags, Dog-boy! Just wait 'til next time, when dear ole'Koga shows up! And the return of Tarot, as well as more on our mysterious fortune girl! and maybe even the song that inspired this fanfic!

Chapter 16: Burnin' Love

R&R, pretty please!

MoS


	17. Burnin' Love

Hello everyone! Here's chap 16, like I promised. And I would like point out something I found kinda funny:

I have, so far, 156 reviews for this story. And, according to my stats, I have 11920 hits for this story. Which begs the question: What happened to the other 11764 people, huh?

Oh well, just thought that was funny.

Oh, and as a warnign for future chapters, I support Sesshomaru/Older Rin, so expect them as a couple. I won't have him do anything drastic, or even remotely sexual in this fic, but it will be implied and there's no flamer alive who can get me to change my mind. I will keep the interactions with reason considering Rin's age, and they will be brief, because I don't want to offend any of my wonderful reviewers (you guys have been so awesome!), but be warned, I DO support them and, if I decide to do it, they will be a main couple of the sequel to 'Inferno'.

Well, that's all. Let's get on with the fic!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or the song 'Everything Burns'.

**_Inferno_**

_The nore you fight it, the brighter it burns._

Chapter 16: Burnin' Love

She darted into the house, snapping the door shut with a distinct 'click'. Beneath her hoodie, dark green this time, her eyes darted back and forth, seeking the familiar form of her mother. When no matronly figure appeared at the sound of the door, she breathed a long sigh of relief, satisfied for the moment. Slowly she walked from the door, stumbling slightly even as she headed for the stairs. Unconsciously, she yanked at the hoodie, pulling it higher upon her head, hiding her face from all who may have the chance to see it. Her pink lips were parted as she unsteadily drew in breath, and the skin around them was pale as snow. Half way up the stair, her sock-covered foot slipped, and she went crashing to her knees on the carpeted steps, her whole body trembling.

" Oh God…" She cursed as she felt something rise up in her throat. In a disturbingly familiar form, she flung her hand up over her mouth to block the coughing fit that threatened to over take her to no avail. She crouched upon the stairs leading up to the second story, hacking and gasping in breath for the next ten minutes, her cheeks, (what little bit could be seen) turning rosy as she gasped and choked for breath. She felt something wet hit her hand, and then her coughing finally subsided. Pulling the appendage back, she grimaced at the red that was splattered across her palm, contrasting with the white of her skin. She felt saliva run down from the corner of her mouth, and made to wipe it away with the back of her blood stained hand. To her horror when she pulled it back, it too was red and wet with the blood that had mixed with her spit. Cursing and fisting her hand, she pulled herself to a standing position, and hauled herself the rest of the way up, cussing and swearing the entire way.

As she stumbled into her darkened room, she deposited her backpack that was crammed full of books and papers on the messy floor, where it was lost among the t-shirts and pencil crayons and half scribbled poems. Sighing once more, she collapsed on the bed, running her hand over her hidden forehead. By the covered window, the bowl of water sat unmoving, shining brightly in the partial darkness. When she didn't look up, the water spun quickly, splashing quietly. Her head rose up slightly.

" Now?" She asked, annoyed. The water sped up in its spinning, equally annoyed. She heaved herself from the bed, groaning from the exertion, and attempted to walk to the bowl by the window. She tripped, however, on a wayward t-shirt that lay at her feet, which she had neglected to put away some days ago. Her eyes beneath her hoodie must have widened as they saw the floor rush up to meet them. She had the sense about her to throw her hands, one of which still bore a crimson stain, out before her to break the fall. For an instant, she felt warm, fuzzy carpet beneath her fingers before they skidded with the impact of her body and slid painfully along the carpet and her face fell into the crook of her elbow, smashing her nose into the crevice. Breath left her lungs and liquid, for the second time since she had stepped in the door, rose up in her throat. Gurgling, she spat blood onto the sleeve of her hoodie, choking on it all the way. And then she lay still.

Above her, the water shifted this way and that, curving over itself, as if bending over to look at her. She lay motionless, her feet still entangled with the t-shirt. Slowly, carefully, as so not to splash itself upon the carpet, the water spun into a funnel that slid up over the edge of the bowl, and scoot forward until it hovered directly above the girl. Tentively, it shifted a tendril out and poked her in the head. She made no moves. It tried again, harder this time, and still its efforts went unrewarded. Finally, after long moments of trying. The water bristled in fury and smacked her head, and it turned, lolling at an unhealthy angle. Beneath the black of the hoodie's encasement, it could see no clue as to what her face may be, but the pain filled and agonized moan that tore from her lips an instant later might have been a hint.

" Painkiller…" She whimpered piteously, her world swimming into and out of focus. " God, please, painkillers…I…I…" Here, she finally managed to sit up, bringing a swift hand slapping onto the skin of her mouth. Her eyes widened as she felt her stomach churn.

" …I'm gonna be sick!"

And she tore from the room at a blinding speed, flinging the door open and causing it to hit the wall with a resounding 'BAM'. Her hurried footsteps could be heard all through the empty house as she flung open another door, and skidded into a kneeling position by the toilet. Her auburn hair tumbled down over her shoulder, cascading in locks, but were held back by a translucent, shimmering hand, that flashed and rippled in the bright, artificial light of the bathroom. She did not look up.

She didn't have to.

To know that it was her water that stood behind her, rubbing her back soothingly, and murmuring cooing noises that were not words, but comforted her none the less.

>

She sat in a field of flowers, crouching delicately like a lady. She knew she was far from a lady, but she would make an effort to look the part of one, if only for _him_. She knew she was a peasant, a wandering street urchin who could not possibly hope to obtain the noble look she strived so hard for, but she must try none the less, for she would _not_ disgrace Sesshomaru-sama, who had done so much for her. Rin knew she was no more than a common human whelp, but she was devoted to her lord and master, and would do anything at all for him. So she sat in the field of flowers, affecting to look delicate and gentle and soft, twisting the stems of flowers into the crown of a princess that she may don, and complete the façade she so desired.

Glancing back, she caught sight of the green skinned Jaken fast asleep, his staff resting against his chest, comically tall to his diminutive stature. But Rin would not say so, because Jaken-sama was, if not her friend, then her care taker, and though she was not as devoted to him as she was to Sesshomaru-sama, he was still a part of the rag-tag little family she had found. Said family involved the tall, stoic Western Lord, who brought her back from the clutches of the Reaper, a whiny, but amusing green toad like creature who reluctantly offered her his protection, and the quiet, but kind two headed dragon she had affectionately dubbed Ah-Uhn, who guarded her and allowed her to sleep upon its back when she grew sleepy. Many would say that this family was cold and dysfunctional and doomed to fall apart.

But to Rin, it was Heaven.

She could barely remember her true parents, aside from nameless faceless shadows that cooed unheard words to her in the dead of night when the shades of her half-forgotten past bubbled up to haunt her. Her brothers remained faceless too, mouthing words like 'play' and 'come on' and 'Rin'. Yes, the shadows said 'Rin' over and over again until she was sure that her family's spirits were all around, begging for her to avenge them. But she ignored them, because, as far as her eight-year-old (well, ten-year-old now) mind was concerned, her family was the silent taiyoukai, the two-headed dragon, and the funny little toad that she traveled with. She needed no other family than that.

" Rin." A hard voice broke through her daze. Had it been anyone else, the voice would have sounded unbearably cold, disinterested, and cruel. But Rin knew her Sesshomaru-sama far too well to think that. Under the initial cold tone, there was a hint of …not kindness, not joy, but…a something. A something that entered his voice only when he spoke with her. Flushing in delight, the child (who was growing) turned to face her lord, in all his silver/white glory.

" Sesshomaru-sama!" She squealed in utter joy as she hopped to her feet. " Rin is…" She trailed off, her cute face screwing up into one of deep concentration. Taking a deep breath, she started again. " _I_ am so very glad that you have returned. Rin- I mean I missed you very much. But Ah-Uhn has looked after me, and Jaken-sama has been catching up on his sleep!" She pointed to the toad's slumbering form and saw her lord's eyes darken-the only sign of his annoyance. Rin tilted her head to the side in confusion.

" Tell me, Rin. Has Jaken slept most of the time that I was away?"

Rin screwed up her eyes, thinking hard.

" Ano…Rin-" She froze at the reprimanding look in his golden eyes. " _I_ think so."

" Very good, Rin." Her lord said softly, and she positively beamed beneath his praise.

" Did your business go well, Sesshomaru-sama?" She murmured quietly, averting her eyes to the ground in her most feminine pose. Often, when they strayed nearer to a village in their travels, Rin was allowed to go and play with said village's children, making dozens of friends across the continent with her cheerful attitude and kindness. But she was growing up, and, with each passing village, she immersed herself more and more in the ways of the females she met, many of whom had begun to mimic their elder sisters, who were either courting or married. She learned what she believed would help her appear as a proper lady, a well mannered and well reared child, so that, should they ever come across a demon acquaintance of her lord's, she would not embarrass him by acting like the wild urchin she was born as, but the refined, docile child/ward of the mighty Sesshomaru-sama. And all the girls in the last village had banded together to teach 'Rin-chan' how to act feminine before a high-ranking man. It had taken a while, but she had learned how to demurely avert her eyes from his face, and speak in soft, undoubtly female tones that were sure to impress her lord. And because her eyes stared at the crushed grass at her feet, she missed the sculpted, silver eyebrow her lord raised at her courtly behaviour.

" Yes, it did." Came the emotionless reply. There was the rustling of fabrics, and something was thrust before her down turned face. " Here."

She dared to raise her brown eyes and they came to rest upon a bundle of fabric that her lord held in his one remaining arm (how he had lost the other, she did not know, but she assumed it was in a great battle, which her lord had won, of course.) Slowly, she grasped the parcel and unwound it until it hung loose for her to see. She gasped.

" Oh my Lord! It's…Rin…I…" She stammered, her earth hued gaze fixed upon the silk garment in her hands. " I-It's _beautiful_ my Lord!" She breathed, her mouth dry.

And indeed it was.

The silk kimono was a splendid masterpiece of greens and whites and reds. The top of the kimono was a stunning, blinding snow white, which darkened and shifted into a deep emerald green at the bottom. Exploding across the kimono were small red flowers, stretching our over the fabric like crimson fingers, with bright yellow centers and vines of leaves that alternated with their background colours, so that the leave in the white were green, and the leaves in the green were white.

With trembling fingers the child stroked the kimono, her eyes glistening with joyful tears.

" My Lord…it's simply…why?" She finally managed out weakly, tearing her gaze from the garment. A shadow of a smile flickered over her lord's face, but it was gone almost as soon as it came.

" It's your hatsumode kimono." Sesshomaru stated unemotionally. " I thought you were getting old enough to start visiting the shrine in New Year, should we be near a village. And the colour was well suited to you. Here is the obi."

He produced the cloth from the folds of his own kimono, and Rin was once again awed at the silvery colour of the obi, with a bright crimson stripe and a paper white obidome cord. She bit back a squeal, knowing it would aggravate her lord's sensitive ears, and that would be poor treatment after…after something like _this_!

" Oh my Lord, how can I ever thank you?" She asked, her face flushed in pleasure. He had gotten her this kimono, this beautiful, wonderful kimono, and all she could do was answer with words, which were meaningless. What could she possibly do to repay him for such a thing?

To her surprise, her lord bent low on his one knee, kneeling so that the two were of similar height. Rin had found she was growing surprisingly fast, and was predicted to hit a large growth spurt soon, which may explain with the kimono, though amazing, was too long for her. Oh well, adjustments could be made. But now her precious lord had her locked in his molten amber gaze, so intense and deep that she swayed on her feet. Sesshomaru reached over and steadied her with his clawed hand, pulling her closer to him. Through the white and red of his clothes, Rin could feel the heat radiate from him, enclosing her in it and warming her chilled form, cold from sitting so long in the damp grass.

' Whenever I'm around Sesshomaru-sama…" she thought drowsily, her eyelids dropping. ' I feel so very, very …safe.'

" Wear the kimono, Rin." Her lord's voice whispered, softly, and she could feel his fang brush against her ear, but she did not worry. Sesshomaru-sama would never harm her. " Wear it, and show the world what a beauty I have with me, Rin-chan."

And then he was gone, smacking Jaken over the head for his laziness. Rin may have written the whole encounter off as a dream, were it not for the fact that she still clutched the beautiful kimono in her hands.

>

Kagome trudged onwards, Hikaru floating before her, guiding her back the way she came. The thick blackness of the night was ebbing away to shades of gray that grew lighter and lighter with each moment. The girl in the short green shirt paid no mind to the sky above, tot eh fading stars and first little rays of sunlight that peaked off to her left. She focused entirely on taking one step at a time, following after the shifting, snake-like youkai that was acting as her guide, seething slightly all the way.

" 'Listen to your heart'." She snorted. " Listen to my heart my ass! Like she's one to talk! I mean, she just up and assumed that hey! It's Inuyasha even though I should know by now that he wouldn't do this to me and therefore it's some kind of trick but no I'm going to go ahead and presume that Inuyasha's betrayed me and then follow after him into death because I hate my life! God, what an emo!" She snarled viciously, slamming her fist into a nearby tree. Cursing as her hand stung, she pulled it back and looked over at Hikaru.

" I mean, am I right or what, Shiny?" The snake bristled. " Hey, that's your name, don't get mad and me, get made at Ms. Dual Personality back there. I mean, c'mon: I hate Inuyasha! I love Inuyasha! I hate Inuyasha but I love him and I don't want him to forget me so I'm gunna drag him down to Hell with me because I'm messed up! Lord, get him scrap book of your moments together or something!" Hikaru had turned around now, circling about Kagome in a playful fashion, keeping her red eyes on the miko. Kagome suddenly got the distinct impression that Hikaru was listening. The girl smirked.

" Inuyasha and Kikyo, you know what they need?" Hikaru shook her head. " Counseling. That's what they need. Kami, it's been two years already, just work it out! Lord, some days I think I should burst into a chorus of ' Can You Feel the Love Tonight' around them, just to see if it would help!" She saw the look Hikaru gave her and snorted once more, she anger subsiding slightly. " It's this song in one of my favourite English movies, called 'The Lion King'."

And she spent the next half hour explaining the plot of the classic Disney movie to the rather interested youkai, who opened her mouth and let out several sharp yipping noises that Kagome took as laughs when the girl told the youkai about 'Timon' and 'Pumba'

" I can see what's happening…" Kagome started off, pointing to Hikaru who gave a cooing gurgle in place of Pumba's 'What?'

" And they don't have a clue!" Kagome sang, standing up and throwing her hands up over her head in a sign of disbelief and hopelessness. Hikaru gave another cooing gurgle.

" They'll fall in love and here's the bottom line;" Kagome leaned close to the soul collector, " our trio's down to two." She held up two fingers, looking heavily displeased, before spinning in a circle, her hands held aloft, ignoring the coo from Hikaru.

" Zeh zweet caress of twilight." She sang in a phony French accent. " There's 'magic'," she put air quotes, " everywhere. And with all this ro-man-tic atmosphere…" she draped herself over a rock, looking boredly at Hikaru before she jumped up once more, shaking her fist at the pink sky. " Di-saster's in the air!"

Hikaru floated around her as they continued back to the village, singing happily all the way, with youkai's coos and gurgles and soft yelps once she got the rhythm. Kagome bounced back and forth, swaying her hips, and throwing her hands into the air, feeling more light hearted than she had in days.

" Hakuna Matata!" She sang loudly even as she entered the clearing that held the well without noticing. " What a wonderful phrase! Hakuna Matata! Ain't no passing craaaaaaaze! It means no worries, for the rest of your days! It's our problem free philosophy! Hakuna Mata-" Hikaru, interrupting the chorus of Timon and Pumba's prized saying. Opening her brown eyes, she took in the welcomed sight of the old well.

" Hallelujah!" She murmured feverently, sprinting forward to the wooden contraption. She turned as she kneeled at the edge, grinning at Hikaru.

" So…" she said, unsure of how to word the nest few sentences. " This is my stop. I'll see you again soon?"

The snake-like creature seemed to freeze for a moment, then bob her head up and down so furiously that her entire body began to shake with her. Kagome's face lit up in a true smile.

" Great!" She stood up on the edge of the well. " Ja ne!" And she jumped high in the air, holding her skirt to her sides as she fell, straight as an arrow into the well. Hikaru watched impassively for a few moments, before she turned and vanished into the forest, and instant before a certain red-clad halfling came bounding into the clearing, looking forlorn and sleepless.

At the same time, Kagome quietly snuck from the well house, jumping form shadow to shadow, humming an off key, badly thought up tune to her movements. Still giddy from her walk with Hikaru, the young girl was on a high and she couldn't help herself.

' Oh God she's doing her own theme music!' She thought to herself and stifled and a giggle, before flattening herself against the tree. ' Big, dumb, _and_ tone-deaf. I am _so glad_ I was unconscious for all this!'

" Kaggsie, what the hell are you doing?" Came Tarot's voice from behind her. Kagome didn't even turn around.

" What you don't like it?" She asked mockingly. " Okay, fine then. Bada buuuuuuuuum! Bada dada! Badada! Badada! Badada! Badada! Dadaduuum! Dadaduuum! Dadum! Dada-"

" Mission Impossible isn't any better you tone-deaf idiot." Tarot said, and Kagome could almost see her rolling her eyes. But as she peaked around the tree to look at her house, she was grabbed by her hair and yanked along towards the shrine steps.

" You're sleeping over tonight. We can take the guest room."

" Your room still a hazard zone?" Kagome quipped, letting Tarot drag her along.

" I had it fumigated and the vapours are still dangerous." Tarot said as they reached her car, beat up old blue thing that it was. Kagome settled herself in the passenger seat, buckling up even as her now bleach blonde friend turned the on the engine and drove off into the awakening day. The black-haired time traveler reached down and turned on the radio, skipping the CD the was already in until she found the number she wanted.

Guitar music filtered into the car. Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome saw the look Tarot shot her, but ignored it and look out the window as a woman's voice filled the car.

_She sits in her corner_

_Singing herself to sleep_

_Wrapped in all the promises _

_That no one seem to keep._

_She no longer cries to herself_

_No tears left to wash away_

_Just diaries of empty pages_

_Feelings gone astray_

_But she will sing_

Here, Kagome's voice joined the woman's.

_'Til everything burns_

_While everyone screams  
Burning their lies  
Burning my dreams  
All of this hate and all of this pain  
Burning all down as my anger reigns  
'Til everything burns  
_

As another guitar solo came to an end, a man's voice opened the next verse, unaware that the black haired maiden in a beat-up blue car sang with him.

_Walking through life unnoticed  
Knowing that no one cares  
Too consumed in their masquerade  
No one sees her there  
_

_And still she sings_

_'Til everything burns_

_While everyone screams  
Burning their lies  
Burning my dreams  
All of this hate and all of this pain  
Burning all down as my anger reigns  
'Til everything burns_

The woman's voice rose in a crescendo after it had joined the man's in the chorus. Beside her, Tarot could feel Kagome tremble. The black haired girl stared out the window, her eyes blank even as she pictured the shifting, dancing flames eating away at her soul, burning away her heart, her pain. She shook as she pictured the fire swooping up as an unstoppable inferno, blazing stronger and higher until all she could do was let it take her and her suffering away.

_Everything burns (everything burns)  
Everything burns  
Watching it all fade away  
Everything burns  
Everyone screams  
Everyone screams  
Watching it all fade away  
_

She saw the fires devouring her, she heard the plaintive screams of her friends as she let the flames, _her_ flames eat away at them, just s she had released them to. They wailed and cursed her, calling her traitor. She was no traitor. Her mask was the one they befriended. Her mask was the one they loved. Her, the real her, the her that they never knew, was not their friend, was not their ally. She truly, didn't even know them, because it was her mask they talked with, her mask they got to know.

' They can't call me a traitor.' She thought even as she saw the fires eating away at her, stroking, absentmindedly, the four parallel grooves in her cheek, the scars she had not yet shown Tarot.

_Til everything burns_

_While everyone screams  
Burning their lives  
Burning my dreams  
All of this hate and all of this pain  
Burning all down as my anger reigns  
Till everything burns  
_

The chorus rang once more, but Kagome didn't hear it.

She was to caught up in the visions of burning and fire and blazing coal eyes that made her go weak at the knees and feel sick to her stomach all at once to care.

>

Okay, quick note: This was the song that inspired 'Inferno'. i just heard it one day, and images of Kagome using fire just popped into my head, and this was spawned after I got really pissed at Inuyasha. You see, I don't believe in hating Kikyo or Kagome for the triangle. I just get angry at Inuyasha. _He's_ the one who can't make up his mind._ He's_ the one who runs off to Kikyo, she doesn't make him. It's all him. And frankly, I got tired of the Kagome running into Inuyasha and Kkiyo and running off sobbing and being generally portrayed as whiny and weak and rather one dimensional at times. No offense to any of my fellow writers. But I wanted to created a strong, cold, and aloof Kagome who doesn't particularly _need_ another man or time to get over Inuyasha, because she never loved him in the first place. And just like that, Pyro Kagome was born. But this song was what really got me thinking about it. Especially the part about the 'promises that no one seems to keep'. Eh, Inuyasha?

Next time, Kikyo and Kagome's convo is revealed, as well as Miroku getting suspiscious about Sango's wherabouts the day that Kagome fainted. And oh woe is Inuyasha, he can't seem to find Kagome to apologize. Watch out, dog-boy. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!

R&R. pretty please,

MoS


	18. Dwindling Embers

Okay, I'm not dead, and you can all scream at me later, but I swear, I'll try and have another chapter up tomorrow. But here we go, since I don't want to delay you anymore.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

**Inferno**

_The more you fight it, the brighter it burns._

Chapter 17: Dwindling Embers

The stars burned over her pale face brilliantly as she turned her gaze towards the heaven. Her dark, almost dull and listless, eyes stared impassively back at the twinkling diamonds, her cool expression betraying none of the thoughts that danced in her raven-covered head. But a spark in the earth-hued orbs, a spark of interest, of consideration, of misplaced understanding, spoke volumes of the matter that shifted in and out of her immediate mind.

For the first time in decades, Kikyo was confused.

She clenched and unclenched a pale fist about her bow, feeling the carefully crafted wood press against the skin of her fingers, running them over the smoothness as she tried to make sense of the ideas whirring in her head. Though her body may have been molded from clay, her brain was no less cunning in un-death than it had been in life. Her mind twisted about the problems that life presented to her, delighting her in secret. In this age, there could be little hope of education, especially for a woman. Even she, who had once been one of the greatest miko to walk the earth, the chance at learning what the mysterious, eccentric men known as scholars raved on about was impossible for her. She had, back then, contented herself with the small, everyday problems of life, secretly enjoying the task of solving them using only her mind. She found there had been something very deep, very satisfying, about out-doing even nature itself sometimes, with only the mind of a weak, fragile human. But now, far tougher puzzles presented themselves to her, in this state of animation from beyond the grave.

And no puzzle, no mystery, was too dangerous for her to pass up.

Kikyo thrived on puzzles, on using her mind to outwit any foe that came across her path. She adored hunting down answers and overcoming any obstacle to get to them. Mysteries, the clues all laid out in a chaotic order for her to find, were the secret delights of her world.

And the mystery Kagome Higurashi presented was without a doubt the greatest mystery Kikyo had ever encountered.

_Flash_

_The brightness in Kagome's eyes faded down to a dull, blank brown, and stared back at Kikyo with sadistic amusement. The aura of forced sweetness dropped like a stone and Kikyo observed the way her reincarnation leaned back against a nearby tree, her hip curving out and her arms crossed over her chest. Her pink lips curled into a smirk._

" _Inu ain't giving you enough credits, Kiks." She raised one of her eyebrows, eyeing the undead miko as though she had never quite seen her before. " He said you were good. Never said you were smart."_

" _You are giving yourself far too much credit, Kagome." Kikyo responded bitingly, the flippant, condescending tone of Kagome's voice setting the miko on edge._

" _You calling me egotistical?" Kagome asked, her tone light, but her eyes as hard as flint._

" _No." Kikyo answered, eyeing her with considerable apprehension. " Simply that you aren't as good an actress as you seem to think you are."_

" _You haven't seen my best, Kiks." The girl stated with a shrug, bearing more of her stomach as her raised shoulders lifted the singed white cloth._

" _Your best?" Kikyo asked sarcastically, and Kagome's face almost lit up._

" _Oh yeah!" She grinned. " First, I get all sad and avoid everybody's eyes. Then I put on this **really brave face** and I stand up and look at the world and **bravely try to act like everything's okay**!" An over dramatic sob left Kagome's lips even as she wrapped her arms around herself and swayed slightly. " And all because Inuyasha refuses to **acknowledge my feelings for him,** but I have to be okay about him and you because I'm such a **generous, giving person**!" She mocked sobbed again, stumbling forward to stand directly before Kikyo. Then her head shot up and plastered upon her face was the most wicked, devious smirk Kikyo had ever seen. The undead miko was instantly reminded of a scheming youkai, whose plans were thought to be foolproof._

" _And it gets them every. Freakin'. Time!" She threw her dark head back in loud, unrestrained laughter. " It's hilarious! You should really come round more often, you'd love it, Kiks."_

_The miko looked over Kagome's face, with its wicked smirk and frighteningly flushed cheeks and the blank, dark eyes that bore right into her. Kikyo suppressed a slight shudder as the insanity in Kagome's eyes was magnified by the ebony waves that fell into them. Revulsion slithered through Kikyo like a snake and the irrepressible urge to draw away from Kagome, to put as much distance between her and this creature who had something wrong with her bubbled up. Kikyo drew in a sharp breath as Kagome looked at her eye to eye and her smirk morphed into a psychotic grin._

" _There is something very wrong with you." Kikyo murmured before she could stop herself. Kagome's grin widened._

" _Why thank you, Kikyo dear!" She said, fake tears welling up into her eyes. " That is… the **nicest** thing…anyone has…**ever** said to me!" _

_Mock blubbering, Kagome threw herself at Kikyo, wrapping her arms around the miko in a twisted embrace. Kikyo grimaced and pushed her off, not the least bit surprised by the childish pout Kagome sported._

" _I came here to talk to you, not play silly games." She said coldly. Kagome rolled her eyes._

" _Oh please, **Kikyo-sama**," The mock respect was not lost on her, " what could we **possibly** have to talk about? I mean, you don't even like me! Hell, I'm not all that fond of you either, when it comes down to it."_

" _We have to talk," Kikyo almost snarled. " About Moeru-shi."_

_The change was incredible._

_In an instant, her playful eyes turned cold and dark. The crazy grin morphed into a threatening scowl, and her slender hands clenched into fists. She pulled her lips back in a feral snarl and about her, to Kikyo's shock, flames began to dance. Small, almost ember-like flames skidded and twisted about her feet. The wind whipped her black hair over her shoulders and cascaded it down her torso. _

_She was terrifying._

" _And how," She growled through clenched teeth, " is that any of your business?"_

" _What concerns you concerns me." _

" _Never has before."_

" _Well, right now is a tough time for you and-"_

_She never got any further._

_In an instant, Kagome had Kikyo pinned against a tree behind her, chocolate eyes flashing scarlet and a tight fist enclosed around the undead miko's throat. The tiny flames rose and grew into an inferno, raging behind the girl from the future like an abstract background, shifting and dancing her silhouette like a scarf in the wind. _

" _Don't give me that crap Kikyo!" Kagome hissed violently, tightening her grip on the throat beneath her fingers. She felt no pulse, but the strangled gasps of breath that came from Kikyo's parted lips alerted her tot eh fact that she was hurting her incarnation. " This isn't about me, or you, or my love life. It's about this moronic contest we have going over a certain dog-eared boy! It's been happening ever since you came back from goes knows whatever shit hole they sent you to after you died, and let me tell you, it's getting pretty fuckin' annoying! I'm sick of it! Thanks to you and Dog-boy, my self-esteem hit rock bottom last year! I felt like crap 24/7! Do you know what it feels like, to be fucking constantly compared to someone you don't even know?! To be put down because you aren't exactly like that person?! To always be fucking referred to as **the reincarnation?!** I don't think you do! But you know what?! I'm ending this damn contest right here, and right now! So listen up, because I'm only gonna say this one fuckin' time!"_

_She threw Kikyo to the ground, her eyes flashing red and her muscles taunt. Kikyo gazed up at the girl who was herself in another time and, for the first time in decades, felt fear fill her._

" _If you want Inuyasha you can have him!"_

_Flash_

* * *

" That's what I'm talking about!" Tarot shouted in delight as she held up her hand for a high-five. Kagome, dressed in an over-sized t-shirt and loose pyjama pants, gladly provided it. 

The two girls sat lounging in the living room of Tarot's house, an American horror film blaring to itself on the TV, and two empty pizza boxes huddled around them. The lights were turned off and a tub of ice cream, vanilla, with two spoons sat just within arm's reach of Tarot. In between them lay an overturned bowl of popcorn, it's contents scattered on the carpet, kernels strew out in every which way. But neither girl paid attention to any of it as Kagome regaled the events of her meeting.

" So what happened then?" The now black-with-neon-green-streaks-haired girl asked, her naturally coloured eyes gleaming. Kagome waved off the question as she fished around for the popcorn.

" I dunno, sumthin' about love, and following my heart, and all that crap. I was already high-tailing it outta there by then. Sorta tuned her out, the bitch."

Tarot's hazel eyes rolled around, her hand grasping at a few stray kernels of popcorn, which she threw into her mouth.

" Who does she think she is? She can't go around preaching like that unless she's got something to back it up with. Ya know what I think?"

" No, but I bet you'll tell me anyway." Kagome answered dryly.

" Damn straight! I think she's just jealous of you. I mean, you're cool, you kick major ass, and you have _me_ as your best friend! What is there not to be jealous of?!"

" And you're so very modest."

" Yeah, yeah, I know."

" I was being sarcastic."

" Yeah, yeah, I know."

" But seriously, Tar, she doesn't even know about you."

" What! You mean you haven't been bragging about me to all your friends in Sengoku Jidai! How will they ever survive if they don't know about my amazing awesomeness…ness…ness."

" They seem to be getting along just fine."

" Oh sure." Tarot rolled her eyes again. " A demon slayer chick whose brother is out to get her, a perverted monk-wannabe with a black hole in his hand, a hyperactive fox thingy that is getting _waaaay_ to attached to you, and a hormonal, indecisive halfy thingy that you want to throw off a cliff. Yeah, they're doing just _great_."

" Thank you for that complete coherent summary." Kagome muttered, reaching for the ice cream. " But anywho, I guess they'll learn about you when I drag you with me next time."

" Oh yeah!" Tarot shouted as she jumped up onto the couch. " Uh-huh! That's right! Go Tarot! Go Tarot! Oh yeah!"

" If you keep doing that, I'm gonna hafta hurt you." Kagome warned even as she jumped up and knocked Tarot over, laughing for the first time in days.

* * *

He was not what many would call emotional. 

In fact, he was downright unemotional, devoid of any feelings and constantly impassive.

His dark gold eyes flickered with nothing, his pale lips never twitching into a smile or smirk. He was always cold, always frozen, never happy or sad, or even angry, for he hid that well.

" Sesshomaru-sama! What do you think?"

So it was incomprehensible that the breath should catch in his regal throat at the sight of her, clothed in the kimono he had gotten for her. The dark green contrasted beautifully with the brightness of her glittering eyes, the white blinding against her tanned skin. She spun about once, her silver obi catching the light and shining like the moon over water. As he watched the fabric of the kimono slide over her skin like water as she twisted about, he felt, by some miracle, his heart skip one beat.

It was impossible.

For centuries he had roamed the earth, killing at will, scorning those beneath him, removing any obstacle that dared stray onto his path. He was enigmatic, cold and untouchable. He had worked for decades, centuries on it, closing his heart to all creatures and surrounding it with impenetrable walls.

And then, with one sweet, innocent smile, she brought it all crashing down.

Rin turned again, delighted as the long sleeves spun up and twisted over her thighs. He was irresistibly reminded of her, dirtied and bruised, looking at him through her one uninjured eyed. He questioned the origin of the dark blotted that marred her skin. She did not answer. She never did. She had just stared at him for a few moments.

And then her face had broken into a soft, grateful smile.

And every wall around his heart, every jabbing spike used to defend it came tumbling down with a resounding 'crash!'.

No creature had ever smiled at him like. Not with such a childish, trusting innocence. It was like a ray of sunlight came down from the sky and lit up her form. Suddenly, it hadn't mattered that her face was dirty, or that she was missing a tooth.

She had been beautiful.

He could not explain what she had done to him in that instant. All he knew was that right then, he had wanted her in his life. Irrationally, impossibly and utterly, he had wanted her in his life, he had wanted to see her everyday. He felt as though he could not live if he did not have that smile given to him every day for the rest of his life. It did not matter that she was human. It did not matter that she would die long before the world came to an end. None of it mattered. He loved her smile.

And then, the instant was over, and she was nothing more than an annoying human again, and he was a demon lord.

But maybe something in that instant stayed with him, for when he caught eh scent of her blood on the breeze, he rushed to her side. When she was taken by Naraku, he vowed silent revenge over her. When she had been spirited from his side by the flute-playing demon, he had rushed after her. No one would ever know the way her calls for him made his heart throb that day. He knew he was being foolish, but it seems inescapable, feeling this way about her.

He gave her chances to leave. Whenever they took refuge near a village, she was allowed to run off and play and, should she so choose, remain there. His heart clenched slightly in his chest at the thought of not having her about, and he did nit understand why. But she never stayed and always came back to him. And his secret heart delighted in the special attentions she gave him upon her return.

" You look presentable, Rin." He stated without looking at her.

'She looks more than just presentable.' A sly voice in his mind teased. 'She looks beautiful.'

He risked a glance over at her, the greens and whites and silvers and reds all dancing on her flesh. She was breath-taking.

'Maybe, but I am too old for her.'

And some reason, that thought made his heart freeze.

* * *

The room was pitch black. 

Heavy silk cloths hung over the windows, barring the light from entering. The heady scent of incense hung about like streamers, pungent in the air. The wood floor was covered in strange symbols, written in a dark red substance.

It was blood.

The symbols stretched out in a circular motion over the floor, up the walls and on the ceiling, covering the room in a grotesque pattern. The thick cloths bore stains too, and in the dead center of the room sat a knife, crimson with blood and barely a hint of its silver blade visible.

The only source of faint light was the swirling silver/blue of a bowl of water that sat resting in corner. The enchanted waters shifting back and forth, images of people and places shifting over its surface like the scene of a movie.

" Well?" A rough voice asked.

The silhouetted figure that sat behind the water shifted slightly, bending its head over dancing waters. The light spread up over the figure's mouth, illuminating the pink lips that had twisted into a smile.

" It has begun." Spoke the figure in a female voice as it gazed at the water. The images were no more than blurs now, shifting so fast.

" A new possibility." The smile morphed into a dark smirk.

" Patience, Naraku."

* * *

There you have it, I hope you enjoyed, feel free to throw non-lethal things at me for being so lazy. I deserve it, and I can't understand why you guys are sticking with me, despite my horrible updating habits. I owe you all big time, so I've officially decided to do a sequel to this. And _Inferno_ will not be going on for too much longer. I have a few issues in here to resolve (the InuKagMoe triangle) and then the climax and ending are not too far behind. So stick with me people! I'm aiming for an 'end of November' finish! 

MoS


	19. Stoking the Fires

Hey there, everyone! I figured, hey, I have time, why not get chapter 18 up while I can? So, here it is!

Something came to my attention: Now, I know I have this under angst, and believe, there is some and will be some more, but in all honesty, I get very tired of a fic that is all angst, start to finish. ever so often, the somber mood must be broken, and so I inserted some of Kagome's and Tarot's conversations as a bit of comic relief so no one would get bored with the constantly depressing mood. Expect at least a little more of this. I write fics the way I would like them to be, and I think angst from prologue to finale is jsut plain boring and predictable. Just thought I'd say that. now, on with the fic!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Oh! And this chapter goes out to a very special reviewer, who inspired it with their refreshing and well worded critizism of this fic. I hope it meets with their standards this time round. HeWhoMustNotBeNamed, this one's for you my friend! Enjoy!

* * *

**Inferno**

_The more you fight it, the brighter it burns_

Chapter 18: Stoking the Fires

_The inferno burned._

_In the constantly shifting shadows that held no form and bore no resemblance to human shape, the tendrils of heat and light swayed hypnotically about, like seductive dancers in a half drunken stupor. The sparking embers that detached themselves at great heights flickered upwards, only to fade from existence an instant later. The swift, twisting columns turned in time to an unheard rhythm even as the sky and ground about them melded together in the cover of shadows._

_The fires were upset._

_All things began in the darkness, as had they. The darkness was the mother, the place before birth. It was the instant before creation, before life, before light. All things began in the shadows, and so it was only right that the first thing the dark gave birth to was the fire, to combat and challenge it at every turn. The fire, with its blazing and towering heats forever danced within the giving darkness, forever counteracting the hidden bliss of the shadows. But now, now something had gone wrong. Something terrible had happened, and the fire had returned to Mother Darkness to plead for her aid._

_Its disciples had been wronged._

_The fire represented heat and light, of the exterior, but within, were it seared and burned upon the human flesh, it was passion, love, anger and rage. It was the flame of human emotions, heightened to the point of absolute power. It was the heat between lovers, the hatred between enemies and, sometimes, ever so rarely, it was the love that would forever burn in the heart of its chosen._

_But now, it was dimming._

_In rare events, the fire had the right to choose. As wind gave its speed, and water gave it flexibility, as earth gave its healing powers, fire chose to give to those who followed it, those who adored and coveted it as ancient treasure may have once been. To some, it gave the heat of passion. To others, the raging fires of anger. Perhaps even the flame of eternal love. Fire gave itself in many forms to those who personified it best. But then, once in every millennium, it came across a sparse few individuals to whom passion it could not give, with whom hatred would not satisfy, and within whom love did no good. Such strange and rare creatures only ever walked the earth once in a century, if even that, and at first, the fire was stumped as to how reward them for their faith in it. It puzzled for eons, searching for a power it could bestow to those few. It shifted and twisted for ages, so caught in its musings that Mother Darkness swatted it to remind it of its others. _

_But at last, the answer came to the fire._

_Why not give itself?_

_If the fire could give lust and passion and anger and hate, why could it not place the sparks of itself within the blood of those who deserved it? Their hearts, so powerful, so heated, so fiery, surely they could handle the small token of the fire. Surely, surely their bodies would not burn so easily, for they were those born of the fire's will. And with these thoughts, the fire decided._

_It took the embers that burned at its base and crushed them into ashes and dust. Then it caught the creatures whose blood called for it and cast the flame dust into them. And thus, was born those who could wield the flames._

_It continued on as the earth grew and matured. Every millennium or so, a handful of those who were born to carry the true flame within them were born, and the fire gifted them with it. The fire was pleased, happy with its followers, watching how they called the fires from their blood, and manifested it in the true reality. The fire was content._

_And then she came._

_The maiden who did not ask for the fire to come into her blood, but called it herself._

_The fire had watched in alarm, in surprise, in utter fascination, as the girl, a human girl with no powers and little ability in the supernatural field, called the flames to her. She had commanded the essence of the fire, the fire that came from Mother Darkness, into her very blood._

_And it had obeyed._

_The fire had never seen such a feat. How could one small, insignificant human, whose life was merely a blink of an eye to the eternal fire, summon and command it so? Who was this girl-child to call upon it, the fire born from the darkness, in such a blatant manner? Interested, the fire had remained, listened, and watched._

_And when she had called out to it many year later, in a fit of angry and passion, it had responded, and she had draw the ancient flame from her blood. The fire had burned with joy. And then just as quickly quelled in despair, as the burning heart shriveled down to barely an ember, lost in pain and haunted by a crushing blow._

_So now the fire twisted in despairing fury before Mother Darkness, demanding its retribution._

_Two of its chosen, the fireling who bore the title of burning death and the girl, had been wronged. The fire roared in fury. Would Mother Darkness do nothing?! Would she allow the girl-child, the maid decended from the Holy Ones themselves, to fade into a hollow shell?!_

_You know who she is, bellowed the fire as its twisting columns rose to impossible heights. You know what she will become!_

_The Fire lurched forward, burning so brightly that for an instant, Mother Darkness faded. The raging inferno shifted about, twisting and curling in its wounded hope, desperate for its claim to protect and guide the girl-child. Its grasping tendrils stretched out until the ribbons of heat grazed the very edges of Mother Darkness, scalding her cool shadows and scorching her very essence. And one, blazing, shining tendril enclosed over a figure, sprawled out on a couch, her dark hair shining in an unknown light and her skin heating to unrealistic temperatures._

_The fire coiled within the blood of its chosen, forcing the red life liquid to pump faster and faster through her thundering heart, even as her breath quickened and her body shifted over itself on the narrow space. The fire shot through the body, sparking and dancing until the girl was almost alight. Pulsing with the rage of a god, the fire forced her blood to a boiling point, until her very skin seemed to glow red as hot coals. With a furious satisfaction, the fire witnessed the girl sit bolt up, shrieking in fury and fear, the blanket over top of her form catching the flames that flew from her open hands._

_The fire, even against the grasping hands of Mother Darkness, twisted in satisfaction._

_Its chosen was lost no longer._

* * *

Kagome was dreaming.

She was within her fire palace once more, with nothing but the shadows and the columns of heat to keep her company. The turning fires danced and twisted about her, sparks brushing past her cheeks and licking at the green skirt of her school uniform. She surveyed the landscape of heat and darkness with blank, insane eyes, but she pretty face was marred with a frown.

Something was off.

She did not dance wildly to the flames as she once would have. Instead, she wandered aimlessly among them, glancing half-heartedly at the beguiling flames, but making no movement to join them. The heat the usually sent her into a euphoric haze simply brushed along her exposed skin, leaving her mind in as much tact as she could have it.

She felt lost in her own palace.

And she knew why.

Each twisting column, each dancing tendril, each shooting spark reminded her of _him_. The blazing red and oranges and golds of the fires were his burning coal eyes, staring back at her in desperate attempts to win her favour. The shifting tips of the columns was his red/orange hair, caught in the passing breeze. The scent of the smoke rising up her nose was of burnt cedar. Even the sweltering heat was his body, pressed to hers as his questioning lips devoured all her fears and hesitations.

Her stomach twisted at the thought.

" Why?" She hissed quietly to the passing flames. " Why did it turn out like this? Why him? _Why him?!_" She wretched about, throwing her accusing, blank eyes at the shifting ribbon of heat and light. " Why was he an incarnation?! This wasn't supposed to happen! Do you hear me? _Do you?!_"

Her voice rose to a hysterical pitch. She buried her fingers in her black hair, twisting them about until they were hopelessly tangled and yanked hard, shrieking as pain shot through her scalp. She twisted and flayed in a crazed manner, glaring in pained fury at the fire.

" You were supposed to _save me_! You were supposed to love me! _Love me!_ You were supposed to be the _one!_ I loved you, I loved you, I still do! _I still love you!_ You were supposed to be my savior, not my destroyer!" She threw her head back as her chest tightened in pain and screamed out until it echoed over the empty walls of her fiery palace. Her ears bled with the sound of her own despair, and she fell to her knees, whimpering in pain.

' _You're breaking my heart too.'_

Her dark head shot, eyes wild with grief, as his voice danced through the empty space.

" No." She murmured, curling into herself. " No, I'm not. I'm not. No. No! You don't have a heart! You're like him, like Naraku. You don't love me, you're using me! You don't love me, you _can't_ love me! Stop it!" Her hands flew to her ears, as if to block his voice from her mind. " Stop it! Stop saying those things! You don't, you _don't_!"

She twisted her head about, shaking it to and fro, as if she could shake the memory of him from her mind. When his voice continued, she stumbled clumsily to her feet and took off running, tripping and swaying as she went.

" Shut up shut up!" She screamed in terror, even as her heart sped up. " Someone, anyone help me! Make him stop, make him stop! It hurts, oh god please, it _hurts_!" She clenched her hand over her thundering heart even as his image danced before her eyes and her chest tightened.

" Make it stop! Help me, help me _please_! Make him stop! Anyone! _Anyone_!" With increasing panic, she tripped over she clumsy feet, sending herself careening down to the ground. And as she fell, a long forgotten word was ripped from her lips.

" _Daddy!_"

Miroku glanced suspisciously over at Sango as the slayer continued to carry wood back to Kaede's. It was a normal task for them, which they often fulfilled together, more for company then for protection. Both were capable fighters, more then ready to defend themselves should a fool demon choose to attack.

Miroku had, in a moment of laziness long ago, asked Sango if she could accompany him into the surrounding forest to gather wood for Kaede-sama. Sango, eying him with more than a little suspicsion, had asked why she needed to come. Miroku had shrugged, stating he simply wanted company. Sango, for her part, had agreed and off they had gone, finding enjoyment in each others presence.

Later, after the wood had been gathered and safely stored, Sango had inquired as to why the monk had asked her, and not some village girl, to come with him. With a shrug, Miroku had answered that he had not wanted the task of looking after some twitchy little girl who could not defend herself and besides, Sango's company was much more desirable than any village girl's. He had risked a peek at her, opening on violet eye to gaze at her form and had felt his heart skip a beat as he saw her cheeks colour with a blush.

Never had Sango looked more alluring, more innocent, more approachable, then when her cheeks were a soft shade of pink, contrasting wonderfully to the tan of her skin. Miroku never tired of the slight blushes that he could get out of Sango and from then on, asked her to come with him whenever he gathered wood, if only to see the colour rise on her cheeks in flattery. So it was completely ordinary for the two to be walking side by side, arms full of wood. That was not what had aroused Miroku's suspiscions.

Sango was _humming_.

A little slowly, in an unfamiliar tune, but none the less Sango was humming and it was completely out of the ordinary.

Sango didn't hum. She didn't sing, and she rarely laughed. Once, in a moment of grief with no one else to turn to, she had confessed to the monk that she used to sing and hum all the time with Kohaku, and it seemed sacrilegious to do so now, when her darling little brother was under the control of Naraku. Sango never did anything to remind her of Kohaku's fate, because it was constantly on her mind, and it only led to thoughts of death and blood.

So why, when she had told him what it made her think of, would she be indulging herself and humming?

" Sango." He prodded, and to his shock was ignored. Sango continued humming, beginning to murmur words under her breath as though Miroku had not spoken.

" Sango." He tried again, firmer this time. Still he was ignored. Feeling a twinge of uneasy settle into his belly, Miroku reached over and caught her arm.

" Sango!" He shouted, and was relived when her eyes turned to him at last.

" What is it, Houshi-sama?" She asked, tilting her head to the side in a manner that the monk found incredibly endearing. He was so taken with the sight that he nearly forgot why he wanted to talk to her.

" You were humming."

" Was I?" Sango asked innocently, turning her gaze to sun above them. To Miroku's shock, he saw a frown mar her features and she quickly turned in the direction of Kaede's hut, walking in a swift, brisk pace.

" Sango!" Miroku called, darted forward to catch her. "Sango, hey, wait up!"

" Hurry up!" Sango called, marching forward, her back to him. Confused and surprised, Miroku run forward and jogged beside her, balancing the wood under his one arm.

" What's the hurry?" He asked, glancing at her profile. Her eyes were flashing with worry, and her lips were set in a grim line.

" I just want to get this task over with. I have things I need to do."

Miroku winced as though she had struck him. With words failing to veil her meaning, Sango was stating that she did not want to spend time with him. She wished to have this task of gathering wood over with so she would no longer have to be in his presence. She wanted to be away from him and she wanted it as soon as possible.

Miroku felt a knife go through his heart.

He adored spending time with Sango. It was the highlight of his day, to be so near to her that he could count the lashes on her eyes, or see his reflection in the orbs he so loved, or even watch the light play on her wind tossed hair. He loved being near her, taking her all in and imagining that they were gathering wood to bring home. He liked to pretend that they were married, picking up some tinder for the dinner that was waiting back home for them. Sometimes, when he let him imagination run away with him his mind added a thickness to Sango's waist, filling her belly with a life other than her own. A child. Their child. At this point he would shake his head to rid himself of such thoughts and force himself to be contented with simply watching her.

So it was with a heavy heart that he dropped back, giving Sango the space she seemed to desire. And his thoughts were dark and brooding all the way back, even as they dropped the wood in a corner of the hut and stacked it neatly in a pile. It wasn't until she rushed past him toward the entrance that he got a vague and terrifying idea as to why Sango may be less keen to spend time with him.

" It's so late." She muttered to herself as she brushed past. " I hope he's still there."

Miroku watched the mat fall over the entrance of the hut with wide, frightened eyes as he realized Sango was rushing off to meet a man.

And then he darted out himself, intent on assessing the situation.

Which meant that, regardless of what he may later say, he wanted a good look at him rival.

* * *

Hikaru was contemplating.

She was a soul stealer, a creature created for the sole (pun not intended) purpose of gathering the souls of the departed and delivering them to Kikyo to feed off of. She had no other reason to exist, and she should have been content with that, as the others were.

But Hikaru had met Kagome.

For a brief few hours, Hikaru had been treated in a way she had never been before. She was talked to, laughed with, and even asked to share her opinion. Hikaru had always been treated as a servant, a lowly creature created to do Kikyo's biding, whatever it may be. The others did as Kikyo asked without question, accepting it as their lot in life. But Hikaru was skeptical. Why should she serve this undead woman? Why should this woman hold so much sway over her? Was she really meant to spend the rest of her eternity gathering the souls of dead maidens and delivering them to clay body of a miko? Hikaru did not like to think that. She liked to believe she was meant for greater things, battles and journeys and perhaps adventure, not servitude to the walking dead.

Cooing in frustration, Hikaru tilted her head to the side as barely noticeable footsteps signaled the approach of someone. The snake-like demon's red eyes focused and widened as out of the shadows stepped a small figure, cloaked in a black cape and emitting no scent. The figure walked forward until it stood at eye level with the demon, and raised its hood to reveal calculating black eyes framed with white bangs. Hikaru recognized her instantly.

" So nice to see you again, Hikaru." Kanna of the Void stated with a coy smirk.

The soul collector stiffened.

" I am hear to discuss Kagome."

* * *

Well, there you have it, I hope all enjoyed it, especially the person it went out to.

Until next time,

MoS

P.S.- This is for anyone who feels that they want to flame/critizise this fanfic:

Hit me with your best shot!

See everyone later!


	20. Rekindling the Fire

Okay, hate me, scream at me, throw stuff at me, go ahead, I deserve it. As I'm sure many of you have noticed, I am very...inconsistent with my updates. I don't know why, but almost everytime i finish a chapter, I can't write another one for a very long time. I have to be severely pissed off at Inuyasha too, because, let's face it, this fic is something of my revenge on him for hurting favourite character. Now, to make up for my lack of update, I WILL have another chapter up tongiht, bringing our total to 21, dropping Tarot in Sengoku Jidai, and hitting the climax of our story at about chapter 22 or 23. Then two or three more chapters of falling action, and **Inferno**, my wonderfully loyal readers whom I do not deserve, will be complete.

But for now, enjoy.

Disclaimer: If I owned _Inuyasha_, I'd make Pyro!Kagome canon

* * *

**Inferno**

_The more you fight it, the brighter it burns_

Chapter 19: Rekindling the Fire

" I told you to find me that shard, woman!" The voice shrieked in fury, twisted with dark intentions and the promise of torment.

" I am a seer, not a locator." Hissed the venomous tone of a female, her lips pulled back in a snarl, revealing her pointed canines. Through long auburn bangs she glared up at the shadowed man before her, unseen eyes flashing with anger. " If you so desire to find those kakera, may I suggest one who actually has the power to sense their presence, such as the girl?"

" I would, if you could find her for me, as I commanded!" Roared the male, crimson eyes flickering dangerously over her form, trying to pick out the most painful point at which to strike her. In the heavy sleeves of her kimono, her knuckles turned deathly white as she clenched her hands.

" I have _told_ you, her aura has vanished! And I can do nothing once the aura is gone!"

" And how, pray tell, has her aura vanished off of the face of the _Earth_?!!?" He ejaculated, bringing his fist to connect to the wall behind her, splintering the wood and making her flinch as shards of polished oak embedded themselves in her face. But the pain only seemed to serve her fury, as she raised her head, rigid in her defiance, and met her mater's gaze.

" It is not my fault that you created me with such a great defect. Had you perhaps been stronger, not so easily succumbing to the weaknesses of your breed, than-"

SLAP!

She got no further as the man before her turned his hand upon her, connecting it to her cheek with the sickening crack of marred flesh. The blow sent her sprawling on the floor, her legs entangled with the length of her dress, her cheek aching something fierce.

" Don't you ever…" The man huffed, staring at her with barely contained rage. " Don't you _ever_ speak of that again!" He flew at her, his poise and normally calm demeanor forgotten as he fastened his long fingers about her white throat and squeezed. " If you could just find me the girl, then you wouldn't have to suffer like _this_!" He flung her against the opposite wall, where her limp form connected with a loud CRACK and she tumbled to the floor in a heap. Heaving and furious at his loss of control, the man whipped about, his back facing the figure as she struggled to stand.

" Get out." He hissed. " You're trying my patience."

He heard the moan of pain that left her lips as she supported herself on the wall, stumbling forward on unsteady feet. He could imagine the thin trickle of blood that streamed down her face from beneath her hair, the fierce look of concentration on her face as she forced herself not to fall. And, of course, he could almost see the look of pure, unaltered hatred in her eyes, which made itself apparent in her next, seemingly unheard words.

" As are you mine, my _master_."

The thin door snapped shut behind her, and the dim light of the enchanted bowl vanished as it followed its mistress. Submerged in the total darkness, he stared straight ahead at the door on the wall, debating his next actions. The cruel red eyes narrowed in indecision and his strong jaw tilted in contemplation. Frustrated, he raised his hand, one of the hands that had just held the girl's throat captive, and brushed aside a lock of sinfully dark hair. Welcoming distraction, he glanced at his hand as it fell from his face.

It was a good, strong hand. Well shaped, with long, but firm fingers and lines curving over the fleshy palm. He liked his hands the very best out of all his, in his opinion, superb body. Though he had torn asunder many a creature, demon and human alike, his had never once sullied his finely shaped hands. They were clean, untainted, as pure as a child's in the matter of blood and dying tears. Golems, minions, these he had at his disposal and used to their greatest effect. He need never venture out; never undertake his plans;

Never sully his perfect hands.

Hands he had once sworn to hold Kikyo in.

He flexed his arms, quietly clenching and unclenching his fingers, wondering, vaguely, what a woman's skin, a true woman and not some wanton concubine, would feel like under those fingers. Would it be soft? Smooth? Would it be as tangible as he imagined in far off, hazy dreams of pleasured moan and heady scents?

A tremor went through him as another thought coursed through him, stronger than any purifying force.

What could he reduce Kagome to, beneath his hands?

Could he make her plead? Could he make her sweet, hard voice, rise in pitch and lower in lust, beg for him? Could he mark up her tanned flesh with imprinted of his fingertips and love bites that declared her his? Could he make her scream, make her bleed, make her so utterly _his_ that she couldn't draw breath without him knowing?

Could he make her become so undone that all her masks and lies and tangled webs of deceit fall away?

Could he, kneading at her warm skin with these good, strong hands of his, solve his puzzle?

* * *

Tarot glanced over at the trembling figure on her couch, curled into the fetal position, and whimpering like a baby. Cautiously, she reached over and placed a hand on the shoulder covered by the tumbling, mussed up black hairs. But the warmth of her skin must have been too much, for Kagome, sure, strong Kagome, leapt away, gasping, her dark eyes widened in terror. 

Tarot swore her heart cracked in pain.

" Kags?" She asked softly, trying to get a good look at those eyes. But Kagome, or whoever this whimpering bundle of fear and anguish was, buried her face in her knees, breathing raggedly and murmuring under her breath.

" Kaggsie…" Tarot trailed off, perturbed that the oft-despised nickname did nothing to awaken her friend from this state. The trembling mass of flesh sank deeper into herself, muttering nonsense in the voice that spoke of the tears that she would not permit to fall from her eyes.

There were times when Tarot cursed Kagome's father into the very deepest pits of Hell.

Tarot, regardless of what Miyokara Higurashi thought, was _not_ stupid. She was, in fact, rather intelligent, though not by the standards of the educational system laid down by the government. Tarot's intelligence, her brilliance, (as Kagome had once called it) lay in her surroundings, her ability to sum up little facts given to her and draw an almost always correct solution. In any given situation, her mind, incredibly analytical, took stock of all the hints and clues given to her, pointing out anything that seemed out of the ordinary.

It was with the barest of hints that Tarot had discovered Kagome's secret.

Sickness: Kagome was never sick. Be it genetic or something else, possibly linked to her miko skills, Kagome's immune system was incredibly resilient to almost any kind of disease.

Increased Groceries: Kagome was a healthy eater. But her acquired taste for ramen (Souta's fault) did not extend to fifteen or sixteen packs every week.

The Legend of the Well: Tarot had heard the stories. Kagome liked to repeat them at sleepovers in the dead of night when the horror movies ran out. She knew of the myth of the 'Bone Eater'. Perhaps there was something to Kagome's grandfather's ramblings. Who was to say there _wasn't_ something magic about that creepy old well on the Higurashi property?

She had confronted the teen days later and Kagome, grinning in a frightfully insane way, told Tarot that she, Kagome, was in a whole new ball game.

The textbooks were _wrong_.

Demons were real.

_Very_ real.

And she was on the verge of having a pet one any day now.

And so it had begun. Hours of conversations on the Shikon no Tama. Long-winded rants on 'Dog-Boy' and his general uselessness. Quietly whispered gossip on how Naraku was so incredible evil, but could Kagome ever understand the meaning of the word temptation now! Evil or not, Naraku was a welcome sight to Kagome's hormonally driven eyes.

And then, Kagome, with a lost, desperate look in her blank eyes, throwing herself against Tarot's form and shrieking in fury over Inuyasha, her broken heart and his broken promise.

And Tarot, who secretly adored Kagome with the blind fever of a sister, swore silent revenge on the hanyou who had reduced Kagome to this.

It was the first time Kagome had come close to crying, _really _crying, in years.

Tarot knew everything about Kagome. Their secret trysts of friendship, bordering on the more dangerous territory of sisterhood and soul mate, had unclasped everything that was Kagome to Tarot, and now the girl who bore the name of the fortune telling cards could read her best friend's actions better than Kagome herself. And Kagome had a sacred promise to keep to her father.

Tarot also knew that, while Kagome loved her mother, it was with a blind, obsessive worship that Kagome loved her father. She had, even at the tender age of five, adored him and coveted his attention as one might covet as gem or a treasure. Her father was a god in her eyes, and she loved him with the ignorant adoration of a child. And when he had left her life so abruptly, on the eve of her fifth birthday, with those six words of parting, Kagome had been left helpless, afraid, and, for the first time in her life, alone. Her mind was fragile, impressionable, and the apocalyptic event of her father's sudden absence in her life had tossed her over the edge and back again. Where Kagome thought herself insane, Tarot knew better:

For the past decade, Kagome had yo-yoed at the abyss, drifting between normal and psychotic, between sane and crazy.

Between innocence, and pyromania.

Tarot was well aware of Kagome's problems. Pyromania, schizophrenia, even and touch of MDP. Her obsession with her _savior_, whom Tarot knew to be nothing more than her 'father's' re-entry into her life. Tarot knew more about the time traveling girl than the girl did herself and so it was with fear and alarm that she watched Kagome, usually so clear in her lines of partially sane and completely psychotic, wrestle back and forth with her own mind.

With a gulp, and a long breath, Tarot resorted to the only option she could see herself having at present:

Tough love.

" Snap _outta it_!" She screamed, bringing her hand down to connect with Kagome's cheek. But a terror leapt up in her as she felt, not smooth skin, but torn, marred flesh beneath her palm. Kagome's startle cry and spasmodic cupping of her now doubly injured cheek, whose wound was no longer hidden behind a thin concealment charm, caused something wretched and unholy to light up in Tarot's eyes.

" I-Inuyasha…" She hissed, and her best friend looked up at her with blank eyes. " …h-he … he did this…to you…didn't he?"

No answer.

" Didn't he, Kagome?"

Still no answer.

" Damnit Higurashi!" Tarot shrieked, grabbing Kagome's shoulders and shaking her, jarring something in the girl's mind loose and putting a flicker back in the brown eyes. But Tarot was too furious to care.

" Did he do this to you?!" Her hazel eyes were fixed upon the four, parallel claw marks on the cheek. " _TELL ME!_"

" Yes."

The sound of Kagome's voice, subdued, quieted, but unhallowed, startled Tarot into silence.

And then she got a good look at Kagome's eyes.

Alive. Feverishly alive. Burning and blazing and searing right through her. Tarot had never seen Kagome look like that, her face flushed, her expression riveted and eyes, usually terrifyingly blank so open and seeing and so utterly, utterly alive.

" Ka…gome?" Tarot questioned softly, even as Kagome tilted her head back, staring dreamily at the ceiling.

" Pack your things, my friend. I'm taking you five hundred years into the past."

" Kags, what's gotten into you?"

But Kagome continued to stare at the ceiling, wrapping her arms around herself and sighing in bliss.

" We're going back, Tar." She murmured. " We're going back and _he'll_ be there. I'll see him again and then everything will be all right again."

Tarot stiffened, her mind registering immediately who Kagome was talking about.

" But he's-!" She began.

" _The one_." Kagome finished, bringing her love-raptured face to met Tarot.

" You…love him." The girl whispered, stunned.

" More than even you could ever know." Kagome said, bringing her hand out before her, fingers uncurled and palm flat, facing upwards. " All I need to do is think of him, and…"

Tarot knew everything about Kagome. She knew her faults, her flaws, her strengths, her obsessions, and the reasons behind her actions. She could tell what Kagome was going to do, sometimes before Kagome could do it. Tarot knew everything about Kagome, no questions asked.

Or so she thought.

Pyrokinesis had never been an option Tarot allowed herself to consider for Kagome. It was too dangerous, too unstable, and would give Kagome far too much power.

So it was understandable that Tarot leapt back in fear and alarm as a ball of very real flames materialized in Kagome's hand.

* * *

Inuyasha barely even had time to look up before the fist made contact with his face. 

The blow, delivered heavily and with the aura of something akin to fury, sent him tumbling to the ground below, his cheek (the same cheek Kagome had slapped), stinging horribly. Grudgingly, he hauled himself off the ground, growling in rage. How dare someone interrupt his search for Kagome! He had been looking all night for her, guilt-ridden and scared beyond all belief, refusing to so much as glance down at his blood covered claws. Snarling, frustrated over his inability to find Kagome and wearied by his constant denial of the caking life liquid on his sharpened nails, he glared up at his would-be opponent, only to meet ice blue eyes, pupil dilated in godly fury.

" Wha-" He began but got no further as a second blow knocked him clean off his feet.

" YOU BASTARD!" Koga roared, charging forward. Instinct took over and forced Inuyasha to leap out of the way of the wolf demon's fist. He glanced down as flecks of dirt splattered against his form and choked on his breath as he saw a crater where he had just been.

But he had little time to dwell on it as the rush of the wind against a solid object alerted him to Koga's presence behind him. Twisting in mid air he avoided the punch, and watched with wary eyes as Koga's form sailed over him, blue eyes locking with his, and gleaming with the promise of unrivalled pain.

But Inuyasha was equal to it.

With the swiftness born of years of surviving on him own, the hanyou brought his knee up hard into the wolf's abdomen, knocking the breath out of him. Just as quickly, he latched onto Koga's arm, threw his weight up, and sent his rival careening downwards. Breathing hard, the halfling landed sideways on a tree, ricocheting off of the crinkled bark to come to a stop steadily on the ground.

Straightening, he glared at an upright Koga, who had also flipped in mid air and landed safely.

" What the Hell was _that_ about you idiot?!" Inuyasha snarled, but was taken aback as Koga's eyes flashed a dangerous red.

" I smell it on you." The wolf hissed, staring at Inuyasha with something that spoke of death and torment.

" What?" Inuyasha muttered cautiously. He had never seen Koga like this, so out of control and enraged.

" I smell her blood on you."

Inuyasha froze, unconsciously fisting his hand. Koga's eyes burned at the action.

" I smell my mate-to-be's blood on you…" The wolf prince trailed off, lower his eyes to the ground, his black hair swaying the wind. For an instant, nothing moved, and the world held its collective breath.

Then Koga's head snapped up, his eyes red as fire and shot forward with his ungodly speed at Inuyasha.

" You've harmed my precious Kagome and I _will not forgive you!_"

"…_you made me bleed…"_

Her voice, like a damning testimony, rang through his mind, and he whimpered like a lost child, not even noticing the familiar scent that drifted up.

Both men of demon blood, so got up in their desperate emotions, failed to take note of the two earth-hued eyes that watched them in thinly veiled amusement, framed by unruly black locks. It was only when a voice, full of the taunting, seductive confidence of a woman who was assured in her beauty and power over men, rang out over the make shift battlefield did either of the males dare to look up into the face of whom they fought for.

" Woah, what on the _hell_ did I _miss_?!"

Kagome Higurashi stood across the clearing, leaning against a tree, with a deadly smirk on her lips.

* * *

Well, our girl has certainly gotten random. I've often read that people who are insane can be rather random, but I mainly use it as Kagome's...defense mechanism, if you will. Whenever the issue of her innocence (period before her dad left) comes up and threatens to take over (make her cry and break her promise to her dad), she lets herself go crazy, like she did that night her father left. I'm dropping hints about Kagome's condition, which centres around her father. See if you can pcik them up.

And yes! I finally got to expand on Tarot's character. I was planning to leave her a bit of a mystery, but I felt like developing her a little more.

Well, Dog-boy is about to get what's coming to him, Kags seems to have coped with her whole 'Moeru-shi is Naraku's incarnation' thing (you'll see why in a few chapters), and Naraku has a new minion, who will be expanded on in the other chapter coming up tonight.

R&R if you'd like, I'd appreicate it.

MoS


	21. Like Wildfire

Here's that other chapter I promised you, so enjoy it. Consider both of these belated Christmas gifts.

Disclaimer: Don't own _Inuyasha_. Tarot and Moeru-shi are mine though

**

* * *

**

Inferno

_The more you fight it, the brighter it burns._

Chapter 20: Like Wildfire

Kagura looked up, vaguely aware of a second presence beside her as she gazed into the inky depths of the night sky. Regardless of her lack of attention, the heavy panting, and barely heard patter of blood hitting the ground told her all she needed to know.

" You should not provoke him like you do." She drawled, focused on the feeling of the wind, of her element, sifting through her ebony tresses. From somewhere to her left, she heard a snort.

" And _you_ should not fear him like you do."

" He holds my heart." Kagura whispered.

" He holds my soul." Was the calm response.

" You are not the wind." She muttered. "You cannot understand my yearning for freedom."

" You are not cursed with second sight. You cannot understand my wish to stop the visions."

" You are not a fighter."

" You are not a seer."

" Then tell me, Oh, all Seeing One, what it is my future holds!" Kagura whipped around, her ruby eyes ablaze, to take in the erect form of a maiden, dressed in a dark purple kimono and wearing a white shroud over her head. A long lock of auburn hair peeked out on her shoulder, tumbling down to her waist. Her lips were curled into an infuriating smirk that reminded the wind sorceress far too much of Naraku. Holding out her hand, the maiden's smirk grew.

" As you wish, ane-ue."

On the ledge before her, a swirl of white blue appeared, spinning about itself in a twisting, coiling motion. As the Kagura and the girl watched on, the swirl grew bigger, and bigger, emitting a dim, barely there light. The swirl, the droplets detaching from it identifying it as water, poured downwards, filling into bowl like shape, as though an invisible container sat there. And as the last droplet fell onto the smooth, mirror like surface of the water, a ripple shot over the liquid. As it reached the edges, a cream coloured shell, smooth and glossy appeared, until a bowl, with the kanji for _future_ sat before them. Kagura scoffed and looked away, trying not to be impressed.

" So this is the tool he gave you? A bowl of water? How pathetic."

" Not water, ane-ue." The maiden ran her fingers just over the water. " At least, not just water. You have heard of the Naku Yogensha, yes?"

" The Weeping Seer?" Kagura rolled her eyes. " Yes, Naraku ranted about it for we-"

Realization dawned on her as she trailed off. " You mean this is-"

" Yes." The maid whispered, her entire focus on the bowl before her. " Now shush, ane-ue, and we will see what lies in your future."

Though she could not see what occurred in the bowl, the feeling of intense power, of something immense sweeping over them like a cloud, caused Kagura's throat to constrict and her false heartbeat to quicken in something like fear. Her gaze shifted about, seeking an answer to her baseless terror, but the darkness that loomed over her and her fellow incarnation had no form and could not be spotted by on such as Kagura.

By one who lacked the second sight.

Kagura did not like to be helpless. It was that that fueled her great resentment of Naraku, along with her desire for freedom. He made her feel helpless and alone and lost. He took away her will power and reduced her to a broken toy at his feet.

And she despised him for it.

In the eerie silence, with only the sound of the maiden's hushed murmuring and the dim light of the water, Kagura felt her hear still for some reason, as she gaze over into the blurred scenes of the water.

And then the maiden sank swiftly to her knees, hand clasped over her mouth as she spat blood onto her palm.

Kagura jumped back, startled and afraid. She twisted her white hand in her kimono, trying to calm her uneven breathing down to its normal rate, trying to force her heart, wherever it lay, to beat quietly once more, instead of pounding so hard she was sure half the castle could hear it.

Choking and rasping, the maiden pulled herself up into a standing position with the railing, still hacking like a dying man.

" Are you…okay?" Kagura asked, and jumped back when she was met with a bloodstained smile. Beneath the cover of the shroud, Kagura could almost see the fanatically, lethal gleam.

" What is it?" She hissed hurriedly, the wind about the two picking up in her excitement. " What did you see?"

" …"

" Well?!"

" …I saw battle." The maiden whispered hoarsely. " I saw blood. I saw the corpses of a thousand slain enemies."

There was a tremor in her voice; a preamble of something Kagura could quite place. Still, it seized up inside her and took hold of her soul, making her heart beat fast and trapping the breath in her slender throat.

" I saw the will to win. I saw _true_ strength. I saw love. I saw betrayal. I saw good intentions gone wrong. I saw old enemies make peace. I saw a last stand."

She raised her head to the sky, bringing her hands up in prayer, and Kagura caught a glimpse of hazel eyes, alive with a fever the wind witch had never known.

" I saw us by her side. I saw us by our Sacred Lady."

* * *

" Sagi-kun!" Sango yelled in delight as she caught sight of the modest farm boy kneeling by the river, his piercing blue eyes down turned to look at the fish. At the sound of her voice, his head shot up to look at her, and she was spellbound by those sapphire orbs. Vaguely, as she stumbled to a halt at his still crouched body, she thought it should be illegal for a man (though Sagi was more of a boy than a man) to have such beautiful eyes.

" Sango-san!" he said with a joyful grin, his boyish face lighting up with a pink blush.

" Ah ah." Sango tutted, wagging her index finger back and forth, her eyes sparkling with amusement. Sagi's face burned.

" I…Fogive me, Sango-chan." She grinned. " I, um…I am… unaccustomed to being so…informal with women who…who are not, um, …my, um, sisters. And, um, …you are so, um, …I mean, …that is to say, …I…"

Sango watched with a steadily beating heart as Sagi averted his eyes and fumbled over his words, his face bright and his fingers wringing together as he tried to get his point across. He looked so utterly sweet and adorable and vulnerable, that Sango felt an alien urge well up inside. She dropped to her knees beside him, and, with no hesitation, pressed a tender kiss to his cheek.

Sagi sprang up in the air, tumbling back down in a 'flump' and staring at her like she had dropped from the sky. Sango, blushing under this scrutiny, turned her head down, trying to hide the shame in her eyes. Wasn't that right? She had seen girls do that before, lean over and kiss boys like that on the cheek, but perhaps she had over stepped her boundary with Sagi. Perhaps she had misread his attentions to her and all he was actually interested in was friendship. After all, her bitter mind hissed, dragging up past experiences with Miroku, who would want rough, rowdy Sango, with her battle scars and tanned skin and knowledge of weapons, when he could have a soft, delicate little village girl with doe eyes and supple skin?

" S-Sango-chan?" Came Sagi's questioning voice. Breathing deeply, Sango turned with a bowed head, ready to make her apology.

" I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." She muttered, a bitter taste on her tongue for some reason.

" Y-You mean you didn't want to?" her companion asked in a small voice.

Sango's head shot up and she took in the adorable sight of Sagi, his innocent eyes wide and shining, his fingers barely brushing the spot where her lips had touched his cheek. Something welled up in her chest.

" I…no…I mean yes, …I mean yes, I wanted to…but…" She fumbled over her words, tripping and backtracking, trying to pull words that would best represent her suddenly turbulent thoughts.

" Then…" Sagi murmured, looking at her with blue eyes that were shining with something she dared not to name, " why are you sorry if you wanted to do it?"

" Did…" She trailed off, her voice leaving her, but she gulped and forced the words out, in a tone that was hardly a whisper. " …Did you want me to?"

Sagi fell silent, staring at her as though she were the only thing in the world. The sun shone steadily overhead, shimmering through the trees and dancing itself light over her hair, though she did not know it. The wind swayed over them gently, playing absently with loose strands of hair. The water gleamed, and the fish swam on, their scales flashing in the sunlight overhead.

But Sango saw none of the beauty that nature had to offer; her world had shrunk down to the hypnotizing blue eyes of the farm boy she had met not even a week before.

"…Yes." Sagi whispered, his eyes never leaving her face. " Yes, I wanted you to. I've…I've wanted you to ever since the moment I first met you."

Sango, her breath catching in her throat, felt her heart skip a beat.

" Sango-chan…" Sagi began slowly, looking at her with ardent, sweet eyes.

" Yes, Sagi-kun?" She whispered, finding it hard to think straight under the gaze of those blue eyes.

" May I kiss you? For real?"

* * *

" I mean her no harm, you know." Kanna said with a roll of her eyes as the soul collector beside her hissed in reflex at the maiden of the void.

But Kanna, practiced at hiding her emotions, rolled her eyes, though her heart warmed at the youkai's protectiveness of the miko.

" You know as well as I do that Kagome is powerful." Kanna muttered, pushing the black cloak off her head and letting her white bangs fall into her contrasting black eyes. She shut them for a moment, thinking of the obsessive gleam in Kagome's eyes when she caught sight of fire. A good opponent. Worth looking into as an ally. Probably capable of, if not killing Naraku, then hurting him, possibly inflicting permanent damage, if the timing was right. Kanna flicked a strand of snowy hair over her shoulder, roused from her daze by a curious cooing from Hikaru. Kanna stiffened.

" Yes, it's my natural hair colour!" The 'emotionless' girl hissed in fury, twisting a pale hand into her precious locks. " What else would it be?!"

Hikaru cooed suggestively and Kanna's face, devoid of colour, was set alive with a fiery, healthy looking flush of indignation.

" _Premature whitening_?!" She snarled venomously, glaring at the snake like youkai with all the fury her unaccustomed body could create. Her black eyes sparking, her face flushed, her stance rigid, Kanna looked nothing like the expressionless demon that haunted the halls of Naraku's castle. She stamped her foot and glowered at Hikaru, who could contain herself no longer. From the youkai's open jaw spilled the bubbly coos that Kagome had taken as laughter. Kanna, realizing she was being mocked, pouted cutely before rolling her eyes and letting a small smile make its way onto her face.

" Okay, so maybe it _isn't_ a normal colour for girls my age." She paused. " Or, at least, girls at the age I _appear_." She shook her head to rid it of such philosophical thoughts and focused her attentions on the now quiet soul collector.

" I came here to ask you only one question really."

She leveled the creature with her dark eyed gaze, smirking slightly, in a way that was reminiscent of Kagome when she spoke to Kikyo. Hikaru felt a thrill go through her long body.

" Do you think Kagome can help us bring Naraku down?"

* * *

Tarot had never actually seen Inuyasha before.

He had been described to her, by a ranting, furious Kagome, who made him out to be the incarnation of everything horrible and despicable on earth and Tarot, who had had bad experiences with men, had been inclined to believe her.

Now, standing in a dense forest that she had never known existed until now, surrounded by birds and animals and the constant whisper of the winds through the tree leaves, Tarot Yogenshano got the first sight of the man she despised.

He was tall, taller than either her or Kagome, with a wild mane of silver that was as much like moonlight as Kagome had said. Bright, passionate eyes, of spun gold, looked over at them, filled with heartbreak, with desperation, with a fleeting hope. Tarot scowled darkly.

' No hope is gonna save you now, Dog-Boy.'

Dressed in a deep, powerful red that reminded Tarot too much of blood, with big billowing sleeves and bare feet. And there, she glanced at his hands, were the sharpened, deadly claws that had torn into Kagome's cheeks. Tarot's hazel eyes darkened in anticipation. Though she leaned causally against the back of a tree, observing from her vantage point, her hands clenched so tight her knuckles turned a pale, sickly white.

' I hate you.' She hissed in her mind, taking in the form of her rival. ' I've hated you for a long time. You think you've known hate before? Kikyo, Naraku, Sesshomaru, they're _nothing_ compare to _me_, Inuyasha. '

Though he couldn't see it, Tarot leveled the inu hanyou with a glare.

' You're about to relearn the phrase _Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned_.'

She tilted her head back, smirking in a way that revealed one point fang, peeking out over her lip.

' I may not exactly be a woman, Inuyasha, but I _am_ scorned.'

Inuyasha took a step towards Kagome, wild, desperate love in his eyes.

' I am most _definitely_ scorned!'

* * *

Left unattended, the bowl sat quietly, its waters unmoving as its mistress talked fanatically about the visions it granted to her.

Silently, it observed the wind witch, the proud tilt of her head, the red of her eyes, the tussle of her element in her hair, and stored the image away for a later date.

The water waited patiently for its mistress to end her speech, and take it and her away to rest fully. It lazily slopped back and forth, trying to amuse itself with the sound of droplets splashing against the side of its bowl. Its mistress hushed it with a way of her hand. The water sighed, bored once more.

Then the feeling struck.

With no pretense, the water spun rapidly, feeling the images of people and places it had never known, _would_ never know, _couldn't_ know, pass in a blur of colour and motion over its surface, displayed for a fraction of an instant in time for any passerby to see.

But it was not these images the water sought to show its mistress.

Somewhere, the water felt the heat and spark of an old enemy and brother, one who was opposite and kin at the same time, a child of Mother Darkness. It felt the tendrils of flame reach out and the brunt of the euphoria it bore with it slammed into the water of the prophet. Spinning and twisting and splashing, its mistress finally turned to it, her eyes curious.

It watched, with a ripple of satisfaction as her skin went pale as the moon.

For displayed on the surface of the all seeing water was the image of two people, a girl with long midnight hair and a boy with blazing red eyes like burning coals, locking in a passionate embrace, silhouetted against a raging inferno.

* * *

Well, I hope you all liked those interesting developments. I know I like writing them. If you find that this is nto up to par, I apologize, but to be fair, it _is_ 2:23 a.m. Happy New Year, everyone.

MoS

P.S.- Preview:

_" Who the Hell are you!?" Inuyasha snarled, stomping over to the girl who was leanign against the tree, observing his desperate attempts to get through to Kagome with the air of the sadistically amused. She raised her eyes, one blue, one silver, and surveyed him up adn down. Finally she reached his face and gazed into his eyes with a detatched air._

_" Yeah?" She asked, flipping her unnaturally coloured hair over her shoulders. " What?"_

_" I said who the HELL are YOU?!!" Inuyasha shouted, loosing his almost nonexistent patience. But he was taken aback when the girl levelled him with an icy glare._

_" Don't take that tone with me, two timer." She pushed herself off the tree, crossing the distance between them in three long strides. " Who am I?" She asked mockingly. " Who am **I**?"_

_She stormed past him, flipping her hair once again so that it hit him in hte face, making her way towards Kagome. He almost didn't catch her answer, but his dog ears pciked it up, and it made his blood run cold._

_" I'm the best friend of the woman you betrayed and I'm here for one reason Inuyasha: To make you suffer."_


	22. To the Blazes

Yes, that's right; I am, in fact, alive. I have no true excuse for my ignoring this story other than I have fallen out of the Inuyasha fandom. I tried writing this chapter several times, and every time it came out, if I may be frank, absolute crap. I read and re-read what I had wrote, and then deleted it all. I wasn't about to subject any of you wonderful people to anything less than my personally best, and then some. It's only what you deserve if you've followed this fanfic and are still with it today. The ending I am planning is the same as I had originally, and only a few loose ends have been altered. The next chapter will contain the climax, followed by what I have dubbed 'The Grieving Chapter', 'The Lime Chapter', and 'The Loose-Ends Chapter', and then this story will be finished.

On a special note, this chapter as well as all the ones to follow it, are dedicated to 'inuyashaluvskagome909', who asked me sincerely to continue and who brought on my bought of inspiration. In your honour, my friend.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Inuyasha_. This plotline, and my O.C.'s are mine.

* * *

**Inferno**

_The more you fight it, the brighter it burns.

* * *

_

Chapter 21: To the Blazes

He felt it.

That sickened, swooping feeling, like his stomach had just dropped out. His breath stilled and, for a heartbeat, the world stilled with it. His mind, stationary in shock, attempted (without success) to comprehend exactly what was going on. The scrambled pieces of the puzzle flitted across his unresponsive mind, facts and dates and half-truths danced over his brain, and he tried failingly to grasp at them, hold onto them, and make some sense of the situation presented to him. But it was impossible.

He may as well have tried to hold water in his hands without dripping any.

He was not a man of morals, or ethics, and very few decencies (most of which extended into the area of differentiating 'good' and 'bad'). He did what felt good, usually following his gut instinct on things, driven by the selfish desire that he may or may not gain an offspring in the end. (Grateful women were always a good option) Though his actions dictated differently, he had a heart of gold and he knew it, and used that knowledge to the best he could manage in such a turbulent time.

But, despite his golden heart, he was still an incredibly selfish man.

His sole purpose in life was to sleep with a woman (any woman, from any status, be they princess or peasant), and leave a son, somewhere in the world, to carry on after his death. That son, should he ever be born, would bear the burnt of his father's curse, passed down through the generations, and be forced to swear vengeance over punishment for a crime he didn't commit. Not only that, but the father may be long gone from the world before the boy was ever born, leaving him without guidance or advice for the remainder of his days. His mother, too, would suffer. She would forever bear the full responsibility of his one-night stand, give birth alone, and probably never see the man who had fathered her child again. She would be forced to deal with the Wind Tunnel all on her own, with no knowledge of it and no one to ask for advice. She'd watch her son leave, fearing for the lives of the people he loved, and face the possibility that he may never return to her, the same way his father never returned to her after their one night together.

He was selfish.

He _knew_ he was undeniably selfish.

But the fact that he was well aware of his defect didn't stop Miroku from surging forward, his eyes almost black in fury, his face marred with rage, his heart shattering into a thousand pieces, into the touching scene of Sango and her secret lover kissing before the babbling brook.

* * *

Boys had always been something of an interest to her.

While it was her gender that ushered in the next generation, her gender that raised and nurtured it. Her gender that carried it and suffered the pain, the male half of the species had always left her wondering. If girls were the only ones who could have babies, then what was the point of there being boys at all, she'd ask her mother. Why were there boys, rough, rash boys who only liked to fight and scuffle and thought girls were, as only a toddler can say, 'icky!'

Her mother had smiled indulgently, an expression she would later come to despise and loathe, and told her that in time, she would see. After all, didn't she love her Daddy?

Daddy is different! She'd protested childishly. Daddy doesn't run away from me! Daddy isn't a boy, Daddy is Daddy. And Daddy loves me.

_And Daddy loves me_.

Her justification, her reason, and her purpose all in one. So long as her father loved her, who cared what the rest of the world thought? So long as her father loved her, the masses and masses of nameless, faceless beings who inhabited the world could fade away into shadow for she cared. If Daddy loved her, then all was right in her mind. If Daddy loved her, then nothing could go wrong. If Daddy loved her, then she was safe, secure, and content.

But then, her father was gone, and with him, away went her fragile heart.

She trembled and cried and begged and pleaded on bended knee, but it did her no good. Her father was gone, her heart was gone, and in her chest where there should be a steady beat was a gaping, empty hole. As her mother gathered her up into her arms and carried her to bed in shaking arms and weak knees, an idea had occurred to her. It burrowed in deep and twisted and turned her thoughts around in her head until the unaltered, undeniable truth was laid out flat before her, in all its heart breaking glory:

_Her father no longer loved her._

Had he loved her, even a little, he would never have left. He would have stayed, if only to be with her, to be by her side, no matter what problems he was having with her mother, no matter what kind of money had been offered to him, no matter what had happened. If he'd loved her, he would have stayed right where he was – with her.

At the very least, he could've taken her with him.

But he didn't.

He left her, a lonely, helpless child, barely old enough to truly understand heartbreak, with an order and the warm brush of his hand on her face in some distant memory. He'd left her, alone and isolated from the world because of the heat in her blood and crazed dreams in her slumber.

The only male whose love mattered was gone.

So she had to find someone else.

Her father left, taking her heart and a fraction of her mind with him. She couldn't find him, not a little child like her, and the realization hadn't hit her until years later. That if her father did not want to be found, he wouldn't be. She remembered hazy games of hide-and-seek, searching over and over until she gave up, calling out for him. Sometimes, when her reminiscing slipped into her dreams, she'd call out. Sometimes, a distant, half-forgotten voice, tender and low and baritone, called back in incoherent mumbles.

Most times, there was no answer to her desperate shouts.

So she searched, and she searched and she searched, for someone, anyone, who could see her, see past the mask on her face, past her sunny smiles and fake laughter, and find her, the sniveling, broken little girl child whose father had left her to rot years before.

She called out for years, asking, begging for someone to answer back, for anyone to call out to her that they could see her, could hold her, could love a monster like her. She waited and hoped, and hoped and waited until the whole in her chest ran dry, for the boy who could love her, wouldn't think she was 'icky'. She waited for the boy who would be willing to give her back everything she'd lost, everything she'd surrendered to the father who no longer loved her. She waited with baited breath, for a man who could prove to her that even if she wasn't worthy of her father's love, she was worthy of his.

And then, one day, a day painted red with the sparks of a decimated village, her call was answered.

And piece-by-piece, the hole slowly began to fill, as he shared his heart with her.

She didn't know it at the time, of course. She'd assumed that he was returning her own heart to her, giving it back after her father had so cruelly stolen it. She'd felt the empty space fill slowly, slowly, and ignored the fact that her mind teetered even more, that the shard of her mind that had vanished as well was not being given back. If anything, the dance became wilder, twisting and turning and shimmying and swaying until she couldn't see straight. The fires rose higher and higher in her nightly visits, and burned brighter than she had ever seen. Piece by tiny piece her heart was returned, but she sanity slipped away faster and faster until it seemed like grains of sand, sifting out of her unskilled hands. She didn't dare question anything, fearing for her restored heart, but still, it bugged her, poked at the edges of her brain. And then came her answer.

One of Naraku's brood.

A traitor.

A liar.

A _bastard!_

And she flung his heart back at him, the hole greater than before, colder than before, emptier than before. And she begged and cried and pleaded and wondered why it hurt so much _this_ time, why it hurt more than even Inuyasha's betrayal, hurt more than her separation from Tarot, hurt more than any pain she'd ever experienced.

And the fire told her.

It caught her up in the trance of slumber, blanketed her in its flames, and told her the tale of the little maiden, who'd called the fire, the First Fire, into her blood in her grief and heartbreak.

And it told her of a fireling, and boy with power, who loved the maiden with all his heart, enough to offer it to her, because she had none to speak of.

And it told her how the fireling shared his heart with the maiden, only to have it thrown back at his minor betrayal.

_But the maiden still held his heart in her hands_, the Fire crackled in her ear, wondrously hot and ashy. _A heart, once given, cannot simply be thrown back. It must be taken. The fireling did not take his heart back, because he knew the maiden needed it more. Do you see, my little one, do you see what foolishness this is?_

Daddy doesn't love me anymore, She'd whispered to the flickering flames around her.

_But Moeru-shi does_, The Fire murmured, a sound like ashes in the wind and smoke rising into the air.

He does?

_Of course, little sparkling. He will love you until the day he dies. Look at your hand._

And in her clenched fist she held flames, bright and warm and fluttering.

_That is his heart. He gave it to you. Use it well._

She awoke trembling.

And when she'd called out, in desperate, hopeless adoration, across the vast expanse of terrain that separated them, Kagome felt her knees go weak as Moeru-shi's heart flickered, unseen, in her chest.

* * *

" You're late."

Hikaru paid no mind to the expressionless miko as the serpent-like creature floated lazily up to a branch, cooing lightly as the warm barked touched her ever-chilled skin.

Kikyo felt a stirring of annoyance, and clamped down on it swiftly.

She raised her cold eyes skywards, eying the sinking sun with mild interest, trying and succeed to ignore the dull ache in her chest that meant she would need to forage for souls again before the night was through. Her body felt weak, her muscle, molded of clay, ached, and her throat felt almost brittle it was so dry. She reached a pale hand up, intent to brush a stray black tendril from her face and froze mid-movement.

Her hand was trembling.

It shook and wavered, about as versatile as a leaf battered by a cruel winter's wind. Kikyo tried to control it, to calm the trembling down, but her hand continued to shake and, to her horror, feel progressively dryer and dryer. With a sickening 'crunch', a large, ugly looking crack appeared on her normally flawless skin, spreading down the curve of her thumb.

With extreme difficulty, Kikyo bit back a curse.

" I need souls." She stated loudly, as calmly as she could. Several of her reapers looked up, eying her with distaste. She glared at them.

" I need souls." She repeated, agitation creeping into her voice as the creatures heaved themselves off the low hanging branches with almost painful slowness. Another crack appeared on her hand, running up her wrist to her forearm. A bubble of fear floated into her chest. "Now, if you will."

The soul reaper farthest in the clearing slowly rose up and floating at its own pace to her, yawning and cooing slightly. Kikyo eyed the cracks on her left arm with something akin to fear, her right trembling with such force that it gave way to another crack, running from her palm to her elbow.

"_We need ssssssleep, you heartless priessstesssss._" A voice by her ear hissed. Funnu, the appointed leader of her reapers, glared darkly at her.

" And I need souls." She couldn't keep the irritation from her tone.

" _We've been gathering sssssoulsss for you for the passsst two nightssssss. We require ssssssome ressst, lesssst we decompossssse._" The creature fixed her with a cold look. " _Need I remind you, Kikyo?_" She noted the lack of respectful title. " _You made usssss from misssst and thisssle leavessss. We are not natural, not ssssso bound to thissss earth assss otherssss. We require sssssleep and thissstle flowerssss to ssssusssstain ourssselvesss on thissss plane of exissstence._"

"I made you to serve me!" Kikyo snarled, instinctively grabbing her right shoulder as yet another crack opened on her skin. " You have to obey me!"

Funnu laughed as cruelly as her kind could, a deep, throaty retching noise from deep within.

" _And where would you be without ussss? In a pile of dirt along sssssome road ssssomewhere. You can't gather the ssssssoulssss yoursssself, or elssse you would never have made ussss ssssnatcherssss. You hate to depend on ussss, I know thissss. So hold your tongue, you foolish little wretch, and calm your heart. The clay will only crack fassster._"

" I'm going to DIE!" Kikyo screamed, abandoning all pretense as her legs gave way beneath her and she sank to the ground below, throwing her hands on her calves in a desperate attempt to keep them together. "I'm DYING, can't you see that?! For the love of the gods, help me!"

" _Die?_" Funnu laughed again. " _How can you die? That halfling killed you yearsssss ago! You've been dead fifty yearsssss, Kikyo, how can you die? You have no heart to stop, you have no breath to ceasssse, you have neither blood to ssssspill, nor tearssss to cry! You are a dead woman, you cannot die! The living die, but you aren't living, are you? No, you're dead, dead, dead, dead!_"

Letting go of every lesson she'd ever been taught, Kikyo let out a horrified scream as her finger tips turned to dust and blew off in the wind before her eyes. She shrieked and pressed her hands to her hcest, praying and wishing, not for the first time, that she could cry. Her throat felt like a great weight was being place upon it, and to her horror, she felt the tiniest little crack open up, below where her pulse should be.

" _No!_" She wailed in horror, looking around with wild eyes at the gathering soul snatchers. They hovered by Funnu, who watched Kikyo's body cracking to pieces with vague interest.

" _Help me!_" She screamed. " _Help me!_ I'm going to _die_, can't you see that?!!? Don't you _understand_?! I can't die here, not yet, not in this place! I have to….I have to…." Her throat was failing her. It was cracking with every word. " I…Inuyasha…I h-have to….Inuy'sha…Hell. Nar'ku. …I …I must…I…"

She choked back a scream, as a huge fissure opened from her stomach up to her collar bone.

' I'm…I'm going to die…' She thought desperately, eyes fluttering closed as the crack shot up over her mouth, rendering her speechless.

" Well, there's something I never thought I'd see: A helpless Kikyo."

She blinked hazily and nearly screamed as something was roughly shoved into her chest, tearing away at the thin covering of clay. The fragile mold gave into the hard thrust of the round object, and Kikyo felt energy slam into her core and course into what would be her veins. She distantly felt her body begin to repair itself, but the energy burst left coupled with her terror and near death left her weak and trembling. With her last ounce of strength, she glance up, taking in the form of her saviour.

Kagura's smirk slipped and she looked almost sorry.

" Compliments of Naraku."

* * *

Koga was at her side in a fraction of an instant, gently brushing his hand with more tenderness than anyone would've suspected the wolf prince to possess over her wounded, torn cheek. The skin was agitated and the four parallel grooves in her normally smooth skin made his gut turn over. At the very least, he observed, someone had washed the wound.

The wound _he'd_ given her.

Inuyasha felt sick.

In all his time with Kagome, in all the weeks and months spend chasing after the shards of the Jewel that was to make his dream come true, Inuyasha had never physically hurt Kagome. He'd yelled and shouted and bitched and whine, but never, not once, had he ever raised a hand to her. Some deeply ingrained lesson from his mother had him remembering that while getting into an argument with a woman as permissible, striking her was the worst offense a man could possibly commit. Knowing he was stronger than her and still using his strength to hurt her rather than protect her meant that he was scum, the lowest of the low, the most pathetic and useless creature to ever crawl out of a hole.

And that was how Inuyasha felt.

" Kaggsie told there'd be boys. She never said anything about someone as damn _hot_ as _that_!"

An excited, drawling, female voice, cut through his self pity party. He looked over at the oddly-hair coloured girl a few yards away from where Kagome had watched their battle, noticing her for the first time.

" Who the Hell are you!?" Inuyasha snarled, stomping over to the girl who was leaning against the tree, observing his desperate attempts to get through to Kagome with the air of the sadistically amused. She raised her eyes, one blue, one silver, and surveyed him up and down. Finally she reached his face and gazed into his eyes with a detached air.

" Yeah" She asked, flipping her unnaturally coloured hair over her shoulders. " What?"

" I said who the HELL are YOU?!!" Inuyasha shouted, loosing his almost nonexistent patience. But he was taken aback when the girl leveled him with an icy glare.

" Don't take that tone with me, two timer." She pushed herself off the tree, crossing the distance between them in three long strides. " Who am I?" She asked mockingly. " Who am **I**?"

She stormed past him, flipping her hair once again so that it hit him in the face, making her way towards Kagome. He almost didn't catch her answer, but his dog-ears picked it up, and it made his blood run cold.

" I'm the best friend of the woman you betrayed and I'm here for one reason Inuyasha: To make you suffer."

He might have said something, might have commented on her insane hair (black with bright green streaks), had his conscience not decided to kick back in.

" What happened, love?" Koga asked gentle, still stroking her cheek. Kagome blushed cutely under his fingers.

"It-It's nothing, Koga-kun. Just an accident."

"Bullshit." Koga growled, and gave her hand a sharp yank, causing her to tumble into his waiting arms. " Inuyasha did this to you, I can smell his scent in the scars. He's marred up your beautiful face and I won't forgive him."

"K-Koga-kun." Kagome stuttered from his arms. Inuyasha felt his blood begin to boil, only yo be cooled quickly by the sight of Kagome's ragged cheek.

" I can't let my woman stay here with such an abusive cur. You're coming home with me."

" The HELL she is!" Inuyasha exploded, launching himself at Koga with the full intent of yanking Kagome back. Koga dodged, pressing Kagome deeper into his chest as she whimpered in fear.

_Of him_.

A tremor passed through him. Kagome was not supposed to fear him. She was supposed to jump out of Koga's arms like she did every other time and run behind him, reassuring him silently that her place was by his side. She wasn't supposed to cower as he came near.

" Ka…gome…" He whispered, watching with a sinking heart as she burrowed deeper into Koga's chest. " …I…"

It's okay, Kagome." Koga soothed. "I won't let him hurt you."

"I wouldn't hurt her!" Inuyasha shouted.

"Then what do you call this?!" Koga snarled, pointing to her visible cheek. " A token of affection?!"

" I-I got mad. I c-couldn't….I didn't….I didn't mean to!" He tried desperately. He looked at the girl huddled in his rivals arms. His golden eyes softened as she looked up at him.

" Kagome, you know I would never hurt you on purpose." He whispered, barely heard over the wind. " You know that , right?"

He reached a clawed hand towards her. She eyed it warily.

" You know I'd never want anything to happen to you. You know I'd do anything to protect you. Anything. I can't…." He faltered, blushing bright red, but continued. " I can't bear the thought of you getting hurt. You…You mean a lot to me. you know that, right Kagome?"

She stared at his outstretched hand, puzzled frown dancing over her pretty features. Slowly, so slowly it may very well have been centuries, she disentangled herself from Koga's grip and took a tiny, barely visible step towards him. Inuyasha's heart soared.

"Of course I know that Inuyasha." She whispered, reaching for his hand.

'She's forgiven me.' His mind whispered in awe. ' She's actually forgiven me.'

" I know I mean a lot to you." Her bangs fell over her face. " I know you'd to anything to protect me.

' I promise,' He murmured to himself, ' I promise I'll never hurt you again.'

" I know all that. I know I'm the most important thing to you…"

' Kagome, you'll never have to be afraid of me again. I swear, I'll look after you like I'm supposed to. I'll be there for you, whenever you need me. Kagome, I'm gonna….I'm gonna…' He'd let her go before, and he was damned if he wasn't going to make the best of this opportunity. He was going to hold onto her come Hell or high water.

" The thing you care about most…"

'I'm gonna love you like you deserve.'

" Kagome." He said, stepping towards her, eyes soft, and smile gentle. " Kagome, I…I…I..lo-"

" Until Kikyo comes around."

He froze with the rest of the world.

Kagome flipped her head back, black hair tumbling away from her cynically smiling face.

" Let's face it, I'm oh-so-special for as long as I'm the only one around. The second Kikyo walks up, poof!" She snapped her fingers. " I mean jack-shit."

He gaped at her, trying to form some kind of answer, some kind of reply to this Kagome. He's seen her before, against the wall of the hut after she'd first met that fire bastard, in the field where he'd given her that mark, and now, here she was. The frightening, confident, terrifying Kagome who didn't belong anywhere in his life.

" I could be your best friend, hell," She snorted, " I could be your _lover_, but the second you get a whiff of good ol' grave-ward soil and ashes, I become, …oh what's the word?….Oh yeah!" She hissed sarcastically. " _Expendable_."

" That's not true!" Inuyasha protested. Kagome's lips curled back in a sneer.

" When have you ever proven otherwise? Huh?" She eyed him. " When you allowed yourself almost get dragged into Hell while she blasted the tree I was involuntarily tied to to smithereens? When you abandoned me and Sango as Naraku prepared his new body so you could get Kikyo? When she tried to kill me in front of you when we were got in the illusionary death? When you went looking for me, changed your mind, and looked for her, and still found 'just me', right before we met Menomaru? When you ditched us on Mount Hakurei? When you spent weeks moping and wouldn't even fucking look at me?!"

Her face grew steadily redder and redder as she raised her voice to a shout, eyes blank and darkened in rage, heat emanating from her clenched hands. Inuyasha took a step back, but she followed, in her full glory in her fury. Her hand shot forward, grabbed one of the tendrils of silver that hung down about his face and gave it a sharp yank. He yelped, and she ignored it.

" When you abandoned me to Kagura and that fucking leech of an infant?! When you chased her clone on that island, leaving me to fight off the fucking demons by myself?! When you ditch, abandon, leave, run away, turn away from, refuse to look at, won't talk to?! Is that when you show me that I mean more to you than Kikyo?!!? Is that now you fucking show a girl that she has value?! That she means something to you?! _No!_" She roared. " _That_ is how you make her feel worthless! _That_ is how you make her hate herself!_ That_ is how you hurt a girl!" She tugged his hair and forced him to stand eye-to-eye with her.

" Were showing me you loved me when you ripped my cheek open for coming between you and your alone time with your zombie girlfriend?"

The hiss was low and had anyone there been human, they wouldn't have got it. But everyone there had some form of demon blood, and the words echoed darkly in their ears. Kagome smirked.

" I don't give a flying fuck about you. Go and rot in Hell with Kiks for all I care."

She turned away, cold and uncaring.

" I'm done with you."

The world may very well have shattered at his feet. The sky may very well have fallen, the land swallowed up by the sea, and sun burst into tiny fragments of light. But Inuyasha didn't care. All he knew was that Kagome, _his_ Kagome, was 'done with him', and so nothing else in the world mattered. The shock numbed his mind and dulled his senses and, distantly, he could hear his demon roaring in anguish, clawing and tearing at its chains to be free to kill, to maim, to do anything, _anything_, that would lessen the tight, throbbing ache in his chest.

" Swing and a miss." The odd girl commented from somewhere near Koga, snickering at his pain and tearing through his last restraint.

" Shut the HELL up you BITCH!" He snarled, launching himself towards her, not quite registering the nonchalance in her eyes.

" Leave her ALONE!" Kagome screamed, throwing herself in-between. " Don't you _dare_ touch Tarot!"

"What an interesting picture this is."

The four present whipped around, Inuyasha and Koga with bloody eyes, Kagome with hers furious and blank, flames dancing in her palm, and Tarot, pale and shaking, fearful for the first time in years, to Face Naraku.

The demon in the baboon pelt smirked.

"Miss me?"

* * *

And so, you have Chapter 21. Please wait patiently, as I know you have all been doing (and that I have no right to ask, but I'll beg anyway) for the next two chapters at the very least. The finale, or 'Loose Ends', has practically all but been written in my head. That one won't take to long, I hope. (Touches wood).

And a cookie to who can tell me what 'Funnu' means.


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